Biden extends deportation relief for 900,000 immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine and Sudan

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday (Jan 10) renewed deportation relief that currently covers 900,000 immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine and Sudan, a move that would delay any attempts by President-elect Donald Trump to sunset those protections.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended enrollment in the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for those nations, giving those immigrants a deportation reprieve and access to work permits for an additional 18 months.

Biden, a Democrat, greatly increased the number of immigrants eligible for TPS since taking office in 2021. The status, which is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event, now covers more than 1 million people from 17 nations.

Trump, a Republican returning to the White House on Jan 20, sought to end most TPS enrollment during his 2017-2021 term in office but was stymied by US courts. Trump won another term in office promising a vast immigration crackdown and again is expected to try to terminate most TPS protections.