Thousands of immigrants who have been living legally in the United States may soon lose the benefit of working in the country as the Donald Trump administration seeks to end the humanitarian ‘Temporary Protected Status’ (TPS) program.
Although the current administration extended work permits for many migrants with TPS from Haiti and six other countries on Friday (US time), just hours before they were set to expire, The New York Times also reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told employers the same day that they must fire such foreign workers in the coming weeks.
TPS is a humanitarian policy that allows eligible candidates from DHS-designated countries experiencing conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions to apply for temporary legal residency in the US. According to the National Immigration Forum, five countries collectively have 20,000 TPS holders in the US. Meanwhile, more than 330,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians have been living in the US under the designated program.
In light of the slight extension on Friday, the work permits for Haitian TPS holders will now expire on July 24. On the other hand, these permits for people from Ethiopia, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen will lapse on July 17. This is the second time the work authorisation has been extended over such a short period. Previously, US Citizenship and Immigration Services had set July 1 as the expiration date.
Some employers have already fired TPS workers
According to a New York Times report, the DHS urged US employers on Friday that TPS workers must be terminated soon despite the Trump administration’s last-minute extension of their work permit authorisation.
On the flip side, some employers in the US already terminated such workers before they heard the news of the extension. Jacob Monty, legal counsel for the American Business Immigration Coalition, told NYT that there’s serious confusion amid the back-and-forth in dates.
He asserted that even though TPS has not yet been terminated, many employers worry about facing penalties for keeping TPS-tied foreign migrants on the payroll.
“USCIS could have clarified the issue,” he told NYT. “Many employers were uncertain, leading them to unnecessarily terminate the workers early.”
Wendi Walsh, general vice president of Unite Here, a union representing 300,000 hotel, food service, and airport workers, including at Fort Lauderdale, across the US and Canada, said that “more thoughtful employers” were putting TPS workers on administrative leave instead of outrightly terminating their employment, according to Miami Herald.
As employers and migrants continue to play what an airport worker called “a waiting game,” the local outlet also reported the union leader disclosing that quite a few TPS-holding members of Unite Here at the Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida had already been fired or put on administrative leave upon losing their work authorisation.
Trump aims to end Temporary Protected Status for immigrants
As part of his aggressive immigration crackdown during his second term, Trump scored a major legal win in the Supreme Court last month when it was ruled that the current administration can end temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians. The program has been in place since 1990.
As has mostly been the trend, the MAGA leader’s arguments for terminating the program have hinged on blaming his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden’s administration, for failing to properly vet applicants and opening up the country to a massive influx of foreigners.
In addition to Haiti and Syria, the other 10 countries designated for TPS are: Burma (Myanmar), El Salvador, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Somalia, South Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen, according to the USCIS website. Of these, the Trump administration had previously terminated the program for Myanmar, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen.
However, judges paused those terminations for these countries, except Venezuela, which the US Supreme Court had already allowed to expire.
Despite a report by immigration advocacy organisation FWD.us indicating that TPS holders contribute an estimated $29 billion to the US economy annually and pay about $7.8 billion in taxes, thousands of immigrants making massive contributions to the US are now in limbo over fears of potentially losing their protections at any time.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, immigration, or tax advice. Immigration laws and government policies are subject to frequent change without notice. While we strive to provide accurate updates, readers are strongly advised to verify the latest requirements with the official embassy, consulate, or government portal of the respective country. Financial Express is not responsible for any decisions made based on this information. For personalized guidance, please consult a qualified immigration attorney or a certified professional advisor.