Washington, D.C. — Today, in a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit gave the Trump administration a green light to proceed with the termination of humanitarian protections for about 300,000 people who have long lived and worked lawfully in the United States. Sidestepping grave concerns about the basis upon which the administration decided to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of El Salvador, Sudan, Nicaragua, and Haiti, the court ruled that the decision was largely immune from judicial review. The decision may also affect people from Honduras and Nepal, who are now protected by a related injunction issued in a separate lawsuit, but will have no immediate effect on Haitian nationals who are protected by an injunction that is currently under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
Tom Jawetz, vice president for Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, issued the following statement:
Today’s court ruling places 300,000 TPS beneficiaries—including more than 130,000 TPS holders who are serving as essential critical infrastructure workers—at risk of being separated from their families and deported back to dangerous conditions in their home countries. Ending TPS will become the newest form of family separation by federal immigration authorities. Like the attacks we have seen against Dreamers, the Trump administration is trying to deport hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants from their communities, separating them from their families and the lives they have built here in the United States. TPS holders are deeply embedded members of our communities; across the country, 620,000 individuals live in a household with a family member protected by TPS, and 279,000 U.S.-citizen children have a parent protected under the program. President Donald Trump has turned this into a campaign issue, highlighting what is at stake for these families.”
Related resources:
“A Demographic Profile of TPS Holders Providing Essential Services During the Coronavirus Crisis” by Nicole Prchal Svajlenka and Tom Jawetz
“TPS Workers Are Rebuilding States Devastated by Natural Disasters” by Nicole Prchal Svajlenka
“What Do We Know About Immigrants With Temporary Protected Status?” by Nicole Prchal Svajlenka
“How Ending TPS Will Hurt U.S.-Citizen Children” by Leila Schochet and Nicole Prchal Svajlenka
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].