If you do not keep up with the news and politics as much, you may be unaware that the TPS status of many immigrants has been a hot debate topic. It has been at the forefront of many media outlets because President Donald Trump has decided to end this program. This is a major issue for many people currently in the US, but before I tell you why, let me explain what TPS is.
TPS is short for Temporary Protected Status. It is a protective status given to people from different countries in the wake of an environmental disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions. For the people granted TPS status, they were eligible to come to the United States, obtain work authorization, and a driver's license legally. But after their TPS expires, they can only renew up to 18 months.
TPS has been around since the '90s. It was supposed to be a temporary thing obviously, but since the countries where most people that were granted TPS are from are still in extraordinary conditions, the US government decided to keep renewing it. The problem now is that the Trump administration has decided to end the program. This means taking TPS away from people who have lived in the country for 20+ years, have established businesses, homes, and a family here. All these people will now be thrown out of a country, without just cause, that has become more of a home than the country they came from.
People from the countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, and South Sudan have been given renewal lasting only the 18 months. All of these countries still have major issues. Whereby sending all these people back thousands if not millions could die. The Trump administration has said that the only options for these people are to leave willingly or become undocumented immigrants and wait to be caught and deported.
I know that the Trump administration is doing this because of his promise to get rid of all the immigrants and "criminals," but if this is the case shouldn't the people under TPS get a chance at citizenship? Especially if they have lived here for so long, have no criminal records, pay taxes, and do all the things correctly like anti-immigrant people require? I believe the administration should at least step back and give the TPS holders another option than just abruptly leaving.
