Profiling TPS recipients from El Salvador, Honduras

Again, individuals on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the past decade or more should be provided a path to citizenship. The Center for Migration Studies recently published A Statistical and Demographic Profile of the US Temporary Protected Status Populations from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti. Here are some of the reports key findings on TPS recipients from those three countries.

• "The labor force participation rate of the TPS population from the three nations ranges from 81 to 88 percent, which is well above the rate for the total US population (63 percent) and the foreign-born population (66 percent).
• The five leading industries in which TPS beneficiaries from these countries work are: construction (51,700), restaurants and other food services (32,400), landscaping services (15,800), child day care services (10,000), and grocery stores (9,200).
• TPS recipients from these countries live in 206,000 households: 99,000 of these households (almost one-half) have mortgages.
• About 68,000, or 22 percent, of the TPS population from these nations arrived as children under the age of 16.
• TPS beneficiaries from these nations have an estimated 273,000 US citizen children (born in the United States).
• Ten percent of El Salvadoran, nine percent of the Haitian, and six percent of the Honduran TPS beneficiaries are married to a legal resident.
• More than one-half of El Salvadoran and Honduran, and 16 percent of the Haitian TPS beneficiaries have resided in the United States for 20 years or more.
• The six US states with the largest TPS populations from these countries are California (55,000), Texas (45,000), Florida (45,000), New York (26,000), Virginia (24,000), and Maryland (23,000).
• Eighty-seven percent of the TPS population from these countries speaks at least some English, and slightly over one-half speak English well, very well, or only English.
• About 27,000, or 11 percent, of those in the labor force are self-employed, having created jobs for themselves and likely for others as well."

The termination of TPS for individuals from these three countries, and their subsequent deportations, will not only strain the situations in their native countries, but will cause immense harm to the US and its people. The economic and social effects are clear. Business will be disrupted. Business owners, workers, and consumers will be hurt. Families will be torn apart. Parents will be separated from their children and spouses will be separated from each other.

As the report recommends, "TPS status should be extended until beneficiaries can safely return home and can successfully reintegrate into their home communities. Most long-term TPS recipients should be afforded a path to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status and ultimately to US citizenship.: