Democratic senators are urging President Joe Biden to use executive actions to extend temporary protections for migrants in the U.S. before he leaves office, warning that millions of people could be forced to return to unsafe countries once President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House and launches mass deportations, the Associated Press reports. The Biden administration earlier this week made permanent a rule that extends work authorizations for asylum seekers, but has not made commitments on other priorities for immigration advocates and Democrats.
Senators from the Congressional Hispanic Conference urged the White House to re-designate or renew TPS for migrants from Nicaragua, Ecuador and El Salvador and to issue an order to expedite renewals for the so-called Dreamers, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Over 1 million migrants in the U.S. rely on TPS, which allows people already in the country to stay and work legally if their homelands are deemed unsafe. While Trump could attempt to undo some of the actions, they would set up a legal impediment and give migrants stronger legal standing to challenge Trump’s orders. In 2017, the Trump administration announced the end of TPS for Nicaraguans, saying that it was no longer needed. TPS holders have challenged the legality of that decision in a federal lawsuit.
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