Thousands of Salvadoran, Haitian, Sudanese, and Nicaraguan immigrants in New England are breathing a sigh of relief after an announcement that the Trump administration will extend their Temporary Protected Status to next January. TPS allows immigrants from countries deemed unsafe to live and work legally in U.S. Once TPS ends, these people are especially vulnerable to deportation.
Daniel Reyes is the executive director of JUNTA for Progressive Action in New Haven, which works with TPS parents on several issues, including what would happen if they are deported and separated from their children who are U.S. citizens.
“That’s a very difficult task for parents to undertake,” he said. “Who is going to take care of their children if they are taken away?”
In making the announcement, the Trump administration is complying with a federal court order. Reyes said he was surprised.
“I thought there was going to be more of a fight, quite frankly,” he said. “I’m happy that they have complied with the court order because it did seem as though this was really yet another strategy to scare people.”
The Trump administration has been dismantling the TPS program, saying that conditions in the designated countries have improved and people can safely return.
