Temporary Protected Status Renewals Decline with Declining Economy

As of last week, only 54 percent of more than 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua had renewed their temporary protected status. The immigrants with the TPS designation need to postmark their applications by Tuesday to remain in the United States legally. The low number of renewals may be another impact the weakening economy is having on immigrants.

The U.S. government granted the protected status to help the countries overcome natural disaster.

Business Week reports: “Honduran and Salvadoran officials say many immigrants put off extending their permission to remain in the country because they couldn’t afford $420 in processing fees after losing their jobs and having their work hours cut in the recession.”

The U.S. government has the ability to grant temporary protected status to immigrants from countries that have been impacted by natural disasters, allowing them to legally work and live in the U.S. while their country recovers. Hondurans and Nicaraguans received status after Hurricane Mitch in 1999 and Salvadorans after earthquakes in 2001.

However, many immigrants using the TPS designation were already in the United States illegally and used the designation to gain legal status. The Center for Immigration Studies reports that 190,000 Salvadorians who arrived in the country illegally were awarded temporary protected status.

Business Week has more on this story.