The Trump Administration Decision to End El Salvador’s TPS Designation

The Trump Administration decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador in 18 months places into question the fate of some 200,000 Salvadorans currently living in the United States, as well as nearly 200,000 of their American citizen children.

“Given conditions in El Salvador, the return of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding residents of the United States…is just wrong.”

This is a bad decision. Given conditions in El Salvador, the return of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding residents of the United States who have been here for nearly two decades is just wrong. It’s wrong ethically and in terms of U.S. interests in stability in El Salvador.

The TPS statute provided the Trump Administration with ample legal authority simply to extend temporary protected status. We appreciate that Congress could fashion a legislative solution for Salvadorans, but it is baffling and mean-spirited that the administration has sought to hold the fate of these people hostage to such action.

Last month, Refugees International issued a policy brief outlining findings from a November 2017 research mission to Central America. The report, Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, examines the significant and damaging implications of the change in El Salvador’s TPS designation.