The decision, announced on Friday, Jan. 10, shields these individuals from deportation and allows them to work legally in the US for the first 18 months of the incoming Trump administration.
Biden’s action utilizes Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a program granting renewable 18-month protections for individuals from countries deemed unsafe due to armed conflicts or natural disasters.
All those affected by this extension had been covered under TPS for at least two years.
The move includes approximately 600,000 Venezuelans who fled an autocratic regime and economic collapse and roughly 200,000 Salvadorans who have relied on TPS since 2001 after the nation’s civil war.
The stakes are high as Trump prepares to enact mass deportation plans, which he says would target millions of undocumented immigrants.
During his first term, Trump sought to end TPS protections for countries like El Salvador but faced legal challenges that delayed his efforts.
With the extensions resetting expiration dates, Trump will have the authority to end these protections when they expire in 18 months.
Biden’s extension offers temporary relief while underscoring the contentious immigration debates expected to dominate the next administration.
Some advisers questioned the political risks of shielding so many immigrants, but others argued that many, particularly from Ukraine and Venezuela, cannot safely return home, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump is set to take office on Monday, Jan. 20.
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