The Biden Administration Provides 900,000 Venezuelan, Sudanese, El Salvadorian, and Ukrainian Immigrants With Extended Deportation Relief

Temporary Protected Status has been extended by the Biden Administration to provide a reprieve from deportation for immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, and Sudan.

In order to provide deportation relief and work permits for an additional 18 months, the administration of President Joe Biden has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, and Sudan. President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to terminate these safeguards after taking office on January 20 will be postponed by the action, which was announced on Friday.

The DHS extension allows 900,000 immigrants to stay lawfully in the United States under the program, which helps people from nations that have experienced natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other unusual events. Since 2021, Biden’s Democratic government has greatly increased the number of individuals eligible for TPS, presently include more than 1 million individuals from 17 countries.

Trump tried to stop most TPS enrollments during his first term, but he ran into legal issues. Although his campaign pledges of extensive immigration enforcement point to a renewed attempt to undo Biden’s policies, the extensions that were announced on Friday will impede such efforts.

In addition to applauding the action and stressing its positive effects on the economy and community, Todd Schulte, president of the advocacy group FWD.us, asked for additional extensions, such as granting TPS to Nicaraguans.

At 600,000 eligible, Venezuelans comprise the largest group in the program. Initially granting TPS to Venezuelans in 2021, the Biden administration cited political and economic turmoil under President Nicolas Maduro, who took office on Friday for his third term.

Although some Democrats and activists have pushed the administration to expand TPS to cover more newly arrived immigrants and people from other countries, Friday’s decision strengthens the protections for hundreds of thousands of people who are already enrolled, allowing them to continue working and supporting the economy.

The Biden administration is taking steps to shield immigrant communities from sudden policy reversals and to uphold legal protections for vulnerable groups as Trump gets ready to be re-elected.