Warner & Kaine Urge Biden Administration to Extend TPS for All Eligible Countries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) have urged the Biden administration to immediately re-designate or extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the maximum extent allowable under the law for all eligible countries. The senators commended President Biden’s recent action to extend status for El Salvador, Venezuela, Sudan, and Ukraine, while stressing the need to extend these benefits to all remaining eligible TPS countries as the current administration winds down.

TPS provides protection to foreign nationals in the United States whose home countries are experiencing temporary and extraordinary conditions, including armed conflict, natural disasters, and other extraordinary conditions that render return unsafe. Currently, 17 countries have TPS designations, and as of September 30, 2024 nearly 1.1 million foreign nationals were protected by TPS, living in all 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia.

In the Commonwealth, 28,225 people are living under TPS: 545 individuals from Afghanistan, 95 from Burma, 95 from Cameroon, 15,485 from El Salvador, 445 from Ethiopia, 1,340 from Haiti, 2,720 from Honduras, 325 from Nepal, 60 from Nicaragua, 20 from Somalia, 25 from South Sudan, 165 from Sudan, 170 from Syria, 895 from Ukraine, 5,700 from Venezuela, and 135 individuals from Yemen.

Highlighting the importance of the TPS program in communities across the country, the senators wrote, “Many of these individuals with TPS have lived in the U.S. for decades, calling this country their home. They are contributing members of our society, including our colleagues and neighbors. The TPS program provides them a way to support themselves, contribute to the U.S. workforce and economy, and keep their families together.”

With President-elect Trump taking office in one week, the fate of this program is uncertain. Both he and Vice President-elect Vance have signaled that significant immigration policy changes could include eliminating the TPS program all together. As a result, Sens. Warner and Kaine are stressing the urgency of this request.

“Unfortunately, TPS beneficiaries are at risk of losing their legal status and could face removal proceedings to countries that have been deemed unsafe to return to and where their lives would be at grave risk,” they continued. “The incoming administration has vowed to terminate the TPS program, just as they attempted to during their first term. Within the first six months of this incoming term, six TPS designations, covering over 76,000 beneficiaries, are set to expire.”

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long-championed TPS for vulnerable migrants from countries including Haiti, Ukraine, Cameroon, Sudan, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Last year, the senators urged the Biden administration to extend TPS for Haitians amid spiking violence. In December 2023, the senators praised a decision by the Department of Homeland Security to grant existing TPS recipients additional time to re-register for the program.  

A copy of the letter is available here and text is below:

Dear President Biden,

We thank you for your commitment to expanding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and commend your most recent announcements to extend TPS for foreign nationals from El Salvador, Venezuela, Sudan, and Ukraine. We write to urgently request that your administration build on your recent TPS actions and issue a re-designation or extension of status, to the maximum extent possible under the law, for all TPS-eligible countries.

Through the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, has the discretion to issue a Temporary Protected Status designation and provide for temporary relief from removal and work authorization to certain foreign nationals from countries under specific circumstances, including armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extraordinary circumstances that prevent their safe return.

As of September 30, 2024, approximately 1,095,115 foreign nationals residing in all 50 states, including D.C. and U.S. territories, were protected by TPS. This includes nearly 30,000 TPS recipients in Virginia.

Many of these individuals with TPS have lived in the U.S. for decades, calling this country their home. They are contributing members of our society, including our colleagues and neighbors. The TPS program provides them a way to support themselves, contribute to the U.S. workforce and economy, and keep their families together.

Unfortunately, TPS beneficiaries are at risk of losing their legal status and could face removal proceedings to countries that have been deemed unsafe to return to and where their lives would be at grave risk. The incoming administration has vowed to terminate the TPS program, just as they attempted to during their first term. Within the first six months of this incoming term, six TPS designations, covering over 76,000 beneficiaries, are set to expire.

As such, we strongly urge your administration to re-designate or extend TPS for countries with existing designations. These actions will provide much needed clarity for current TPS holders and prevent harmful deportations to countries designated as unsafe.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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