200,000 Salvadorans may be forced to leave U.S. as protected status ends

The Trump administration has canceled the provisional residency permits of about 200,000 Salvadorans who have lived in the country since at least 2001, leaving them vulnerable to deportation, according a copy of a Department of Homeland Security announcement sent to lawmakers Monday.

The administration will notify the Salvadorans that they have until Sept. 9, 2019, to leave the United States or find a way to obtain legal residency.

The Salvadorans were granted what is known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, after earthquakes devastated their country in 2001.

According to the DHS statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen determined that conditions in El Salvador have improved significantly since then, ending the original justification for the deportation protection.

“Only Congress can legislate a permanent solution addressing the lack of an enduring lawful immigration status of those currently protected by TPS who have lived and worked in the United States for many years,” the announcement states. “The 18-month delayed termination will allow Congress time to craft a potential legislative solution.”