Donald Trump ends protections for 200,000 Salvadorans
El Salvador is the fourth country in four months to be removed from a programme granting the legal right to work

Donald Trump’s government has announced it will end protection for more than 200,000 nationals of El Salvador who have lived in the US for more than 15 years, leaving them without any legal status.
El Salvador is the fourth nation Trump has cut from the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programme, which provides the right to live and work legally to people from countries that have suffered from war or natural disasters.
The TPS protections are normally granted for 12 months, and are periodically reviewed to determine if the need for protection is ongoing, and whether the time limit should be extended.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Temporary protections were offered to Salvadorans who were in the US in March 2001, after two massive earthquakes killed more than 1,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.
Those protections were routinely extended under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The latest extension came in 2016, when “drought, poverty and widespread gang violence in El Salvador” were cited as reasons to keep the protections in place, The New York Times reports.
Yesterday, however, the Department of Homeland Security said: “The original conditions caused by the 2001 earthquakes no longer exist. Thus, under the applicable statute, the current TPS designation must be terminated.”
According to The Guardian, “51 per cent of Salvadorans with TPS have lived in the US for more than 20 years and 34 per cent have homes with mortgages”. Many of the families have children who were born in the US.
Salvadorans will have until 9 September 2019 to either “seek other means of staying in the US or prepare to leave”, CNN says.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Not just a number: how aging rates vary by country
The explainer Inequality is a key factor
-
'There will be a market incentive to build wind and solar anyway'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of war
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Ernie Pyle, Michael Herr, and more
-
Deportations: The growing backlash
Feature New poll numbers show declining support for Trump's deportation crackdown
-
Is Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' cancellation an omen of something worse?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION CBS said its decision to end the talk show was strictly business. But the timing and nature of the announcement has some observers wondering if there's more at play behind the scenes.
-
Citizenship: Trump order blocked again
Feature After the Supreme Court restricted nationwide injunctions, a federal judge turned to a class action suit to block Trump's order to end birthright citizenship
-
Epstein: Why MAGA won't move on
Feature Trump's supporters are turning on him after he denied the existence of Epstein's client list
-
Trump officials who hold more than one job
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Wearing multiple hats has become the norm inside a White House known for a revolving door of functionaries and officials
-
Elon Musk's America Party: a billionaire's folly?
Talking Point One-time Trump ally has acquired a taste for political power and clearly wants more of it
-
'For frequent travelers, the costs add up'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands