Trump terminates protected status for Salvadoran immigrants

WASHINGTON—The Trump administration announced Monday it has terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador, forcing nearly 200,000 immigrants to leave the United States or risk deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said to allow for an orderly transition Salvadorans have until Sept. 9, 2019, to leave or adjust their legal status. The United States granted TPS to El Salvador’s citizens in 2001 after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the country. More than 1,100 people died in the quake and another 1.3 million lost their homes. Salvadorans make up the largest group with protected status in the United States. Both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama extended the designation after the initial disaster. Salvadorans who came to the United States under the TPS order now have almost 200,000 children who are U.S. citizens. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it reviewed El Salvador’s status and determined it was time to end the program: “Based on careful consideration of available information, including recommendations received as part of an inter-agency consultation process, the secretary determined that the original conditions caused by the 2001 earthquakes no longer exist. Thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated.”