The administration of outgoing President Joe Biden announced the extension of the period of Temporary protection status It is given to immigrants from countries to which the United States has determined that it is not safe to return.

Friday’s announcement concerns individuals from four specific countries: El Salvador, Sudan, Venezuela and Ukraine.

In each case, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation was extended for 18 months, based on ongoing threats from war, humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

But the extension only applies to individuals already protected under the program, which falls short of calls from immigration advocates to expand eligibility.

However, the announcement will likely be seen as a parting shot for the incoming Donald Trump administration, which has pledged Immigration suppression When he takes office on January 20.

An estimated 1,900 Sudanese, 103,700 Ukrainians, 232,000 Salvadorans, and 600,000 Venezuelans are eligible for TPS extensions.

However, they must re-enroll in the program to take advantage of the 18-month extension.

Trump has had his sights set on TPS since his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021.

Under that administration, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it would phase out temporary protected status for immigrants from countries such as El Salvador, Haiti, and Sudan.

Ultimately, a federal court in 2020 upheld Trump’s authority to end the program, raising concerns that immigrants who are in the country legally could eventually be expelled.

When Biden succeeded Trump in 2021, he reversed course, increasing the number of residents eligible for temporary protected status and adding countries like Venezuela and Afghanistan to the list.

Human rights groups Clap These changes, calling for much-needed protection.

However, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have pushed Biden to move forward on protecting migrants fleeing human rights abuses, wars and other disasters.

In a 2022 statement, for example, Amy McLean, an attorney with the ACLU’s Northern California chapter, noted that short-term extensions of TPS ultimately provide little security for immigrants in the long term.

“Today, TPS holders still do not have permanent residency, along with all the civil rights and political equality they deserve,” McLean said.

“Most members of this community have been in this country for decades.”

Others pointed out that Biden Tighten Other legal immigration pathways, such as the right to seek asylum. The Biden administration has also not expanded TPS protections to include other foreign nationals who need them most, including PalestiniansWhich led to accusations of double standards.

In addition, Biden has continued many of the hardline immigration policies he inherited from Trump, including controversial ones Address 42 The measure, which allowed the United States to quickly expel migrants and asylum seekers at the southern border, in the name of public safety.

This measure has faced numerous legal challenges as a violation of asylum law. Title 42 at the end Expired Once the emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic expires in May 2023.

However, under Biden, the Pew Research Center estimates roughly that 1.2 million Noncitizen immigrants, out of a total of 21.6 million in the United States, became eligible for TPS.

But during the 2024 presidential campaign, immigration became a topic of intense debate, with Trump proposing “mass deportation” efforts if elected to a second term.

When asked by News Nation in October whether he would revoke temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants, Trump responded with misinformation about the community in Springfield, Ohio, where he had previously accused Haitians of eating household pets.

“You have to remove people. We can’t destroy our country,” Trump told News Nation.

“It doesn’t work. It can’t work. It has nothing to do with Haiti or anything else. It doesn’t work. You have to take people out and bring them back to their country,” he added. “In my opinion, it’s not legal. “It’s not legal for anyone to do that.”

Trump ultimately won the 2024 race, and has indicated that he plans to push forward with his campaign against immigration during his first 100 days in office.

However, in Friday’s announcement, the Biden administration emphasized the extreme circumstances that made extending TPS necessary.

Returning migrants to Ukraine, for example, would expose them to the violence of Russia’s ongoing invasion, which has “resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties and reports of war crimes,” the Department of Homeland Security said in its report. statement.

And in El Salvador He explainedNatural disasters such as severe storms and earthquakes have created precarious living conditions. And in Venezuela“Political and economic crises” under the “inhumane” government of Nicolás Maduro have made returns unsafe.

Then there was Sudan, where the United States accused Earlier this week, paramilitary forces launched a genocidal campaign.

“Militias have targeted fleeing civilians, killed innocents fleeing the conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing life-saving supplies,” the Department of Homeland Security said. books.

“These conditions currently prevent Sudanese citizens and habitual residents from returning safely.”