The Temporary Protected Status program helps immigrants from countries affected by armed conflict, natural disaster, or epidemic be afforded protection from deportation. TPS provides an important source of protection and work authorization that can be renewed so long as the individual’s country of origin continues to meet the humanitarian crisis conditions that led to its designation, but does not amount to a permanent immigration status. TPS is also not a status that offers, on its own, a path to lawful permanent resident status, regardless of how long the immigrant has had TPS.

Democracy Forward assisted the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc in filing a public comment to USCIS that detailed errors in two harmful Trump-era policies that impede TPS beneficiaries’ path to permanent residence. These policies deprive TPS beneficiaries with decades-long ties to their communities of the opportunity to make those ties permanent by applying for permanent residence in the U.S.

As CLINIC stated in its comment:

“Both the TPS Policy Alert and the Matter of Z-R-Z-C Adopted Decision leave TPS beneficiaries in an uncertain and precarious position. Absent these policies, many more TPS beneficiaries would be able to regularize their status, plan for their future, and deepen their ties in communities that some have called home for decades. These policies also deny them the ability to become naturalized U.S. citizens, should they wish to do so.”

Read the entire comment here.