The Biden administration has issued a sweeping extension of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine, El Salvador, and Venezuela, making it difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the benefits when he takes office. The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be extended for 18 months, allowing immigrants to remain in the country with work permits and a shield from deportation.
The decision comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken recommended the protections be extended in a series of letters. President Biden has expanded who can receive the status, as war erupted in Ukraine and instability gripped countries like Venezuela and Haiti.
Under TPS, immigrants are allowed to remain in the country if it is not safe for them to return due to environmental disasters or instability. The program was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush and has been extended repeatedly over the years.
The extension affects approximately 600,000 Venezuelans, 232,000 El Salvadorans, 100,000 Ukrainians, and 1,900 Sudanese who will be allowed to renew their status until October 2026. Immigrant advocates had urged the Biden administration to extend the program for many of these countries before Mr. Trump takes office.
Critics argue that TPS has become a permanent solution for some immigrants, but supporters say it highlights the need for a comprehensive update to the US immigration system to address contemporary global migration challenges.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/us/politics/biden-temporary-protected-status-immigration.html