Millions of people live legally in the United States under various forms of temporary legal protection. Many have been targeted in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The latest move has been against people who have what is known as “temporary protected status” (TPS), which grants people the right to stay in the US legally due to extraordinary circumstances in their home country such as war or environmental catastrophe.
The Trump administration has in recent weeks announced its plan to end TPS for Haitians, Venezuelans, Afghans and Cameroonians. The move may force more than 9,000 Afghan refugees to move back to the country now ruled by the Taliban. The administration also is ending the designation for roughly half a million Haitians in August.
Here’s what to know about TPS and some other temporary protections for immigrants:
What is temporary protected status?
Temporary protected status allows people already living in the United States to stay and work legally for up to 18 months if their homelands are unsafe because of civil unrest or natural disasters.
The Biden administration dramatically expanded the designation. It covers people from more than a dozen countries, though the largest numbers come from Venezuela and Haiti.
The status does not put immigrants on a long-term path to citizenship and can be repeatedly renewed. Critics say renewal has become in effect automatic for many immigrants, no matter what is happening in their home countries. According to the American Immigration Council, ending TPS designations would lead to a significant economic loss for the US. The non-profit found that TPS households in the country earned more than $10bn in total income in 2021, and paid nearly $1.3bn in federal taxes.
What is the latest supreme court ruling on Venezuelans?
On Monday, the supreme court allowed the administration to end protections that had allowed some 350,000 Vene
