Biden extends TPS for Venezuelans, Salvadorans.

MIAMI (AP) — About 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans already living in the United States can legally remain another 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday, barely a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with promises of hardline immigration policies.

Biden’s administration has strongly supported Temporary Protected Status, which he has broadly expanded to cover about 1 million people. TPS faces an uncertain future under Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president. Federal regulations would allow the extensions to be terminated early, although that’s never been done before.

Homeland Security also extended TPS for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese that are already living in the U.S.

For José Palma, a 48 year-old Salvadoran who has lived in the U.S. since 1998, the extension means that at least for now he can still work legally in Houston. He is the only person in his family with temporary status; his four children were born U.S. citizens and his wife is a permanent resident. If TPS was not extended he could be deported and separated from the rest of the family.

“It brings me peace of mind, a breath of fresh air,” Palma said. “It offers me stability”.

Palma, who works as an organizer at a day laborer organization, sends about $400 a month to his 73-year-old mother, who is retired and does not have any income.

The TPS designation gives people legal authority to be in the country but it doesn’t provide them a long-term path to citizenship. They are reliant on the government renewing their status when it expires. Conservative critics have said that over time, the renewal of the protection status becomes automatic, regardless of what is happening in the person’s home country.

Friday’s announcement, which came as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro took office for a third six-year term in Caracas amid widespread international condemnation, is “based on the severe humanitarian emergency the country continues to face due to political and economic crises under the Maduro regime,” the department said.

Homeland Security cited “environmental conditions in El Salvador that prevent individuals from returning,” specifically heavy rains and storms in the last two years.

Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months at a time.

About 1 million immigrants from 17 countries are protected by TPS, including people from Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine and Lebanon. Venezuelans are one of the largest beneficiaries and their extension runs from April 2025 to Oct. 2, 2026.

Salvadorans won TPS in 2001 after earthquakes rocked the Central American country. TPS for Salvadorans was to expire in March and was extended until Sept. 9, 2026.

Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, suggested they would scale back the use of TPS and policies granting temporary status as they pursue mass deportations. During his first administration, Trump ended TPS for El Salvador but was held up in court.

In recent months, advocates have increased pressure on the Biden administration to ask for TPS extensions for those who already have it, and to protect people from other countries like Guatemala and Ecuador.

“This extension is just a small victory,” said Felipe Arnoldo Díaz, an activist with the National TPS Alliance. “Our biggest concern is that after El Salvador, there are countries whose TPS are expiring soon and are being left out” like Nepal, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

So, nothing for us huh? GG's.

This def DOA

Trump will give 60 days to cancel

Lowkey i hope Biden just abandons us. Will make Trump more sympathetic towards us.

flat out casted us aside, legit if Trump fixes our situation im voting republican for the rest of my life.

So the person who killed the nursing student was a recently arrived Venezuelan, but they just extended TPS for that country?

But the Biden administration did nothing as far as legislation for four years towards a legalization program for DREAMERS or essential workers or other long-time undocumented. Tell us how does that make sense.

Based. Make it make sense.

They will be out of the office and won't have to deal with any backlash... we will.. I think this was just to F*ck Trump over when he takes office. It will make a mess of legal proceedings..

Also, for anyone with Daca renewing this month or next.. this may cause delays since there will be a massive amount of application being submitted. Be aware

Because collective punishment is stupid and idiotic and only makes sense if you view them all as criminal Venezuelans. Can't also whine about the Laken Riley act which aims to punish everyone, including people doing advance parole for green cards for the crimes of a single Venezuelan.

I think in this situation the system failed because he demonstrated a repeated pattern of criminality and that alone should've been enough to revoke his Asylum.

He was:
* A member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua
* Arrested by Athens police on theft charges
* Released after reportedly possessing stolen merchandise from a local Walmart. (not sure if this is a continuation of the previous or a new instance, lousy media did a bang up job of muddling everything)
* failing to appear in court in a shoplifting case in Georgia

Failure to appear in court for his crime(s?) should've revoked his Parole status and that should've been enough to detain and deport. If Venezuela doesn't want to take him back, let him rot in a prison and make him break rocks all day.

I think if your country doesn't want to take back its people, then as a whole, no visas should be issued. Its a two way street. You give, but also have to take back. This doesn't conflict with my previous statement, because its balanced. Give and take. vs Collective punishment.