U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are pushing the Biden administration to extend Temporary Protected Status to foreign nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, and other extraordinary conditions that render return unsafe.
President Biden recently extended TPS protections for foreign nationals from El Salvador, Venezuela, Sudan and Ukraine.
Currently, 17 countries have Temporary Protected Status designations, and nearly 1.1 million foreign nationals are protected by TPS, living in all 50 states, territories and the District of Columbia, including more than 28,000 right now in Virginia.
“Many of these individuals with TPS have lived in the U.S. for decades, calling this country their home,” the senators said in a joint statement. “They are contributing members of our society, including our colleagues and neighbors. The TPS program provides them a way to support themselves, contribute to the U.S. workforce and economy, and keep their families together.”
You can guess that there is more than some consternation about the future of TPS with Donald Trump set to take the oath of office next week. Trump has signaled that significant immigration policy changes could include eliminating the TPS program altogether.
“Unfortunately, TPS beneficiaries are at risk of losing their legal status and could face removal proceedings to countries that have been deemed unsafe to return to and where their lives would be at grave risk,” Kaine and Warner said. “The incoming administration has vowed to terminate the TPS program, just as they attempted to during their first term. Within the first six months of this incoming term, six TPS designations, covering over 76,000 beneficiaries, are set to expire.”
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Chris Graham
