by Harvest Prude
Post Date:
August 2, 2019

U.S. grants reprieve to Syrian immigrants

Name: WORLD
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A Syrian refugee family shops in El Cajon, Calif., in August 2016. Associated Press/Photo by Lenny Ignelzi (file)

U.S. grants reprieve to Syrian immigrants

WASHINGTON—About 7,000 Syrians living legally in the United States can continue to live and work here—for now. The Trump administration announced Thursday it will extend their temporary protected status from Sept. 30 until March 31, 2021.

Why the extension? Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said that “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions” continue to exist in Syria. But the protections are only available to Syrians who have lived in the United States since Aug. 1, 2016. Those who have come since then must apply for asylum or another form of immigration protection.

Dig deeper: For a firsthand perspective from a Syrian who was granted TPS, listen to a segment from The World and Everything in It.