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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Javier Milei's memecoin scandal
Under The Radar Argentinian president is facing impeachment calls and fraud accusations
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Who is actually running DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House said in a court filing that Elon Musk isn't the official head of Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency task force, raising questions about just who is overseeing DOGE's federal blitzkrieg
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How does the Kennedy Center work?
The Explainer The D.C. institution has become a cultural touchstone. Why did Trump take over?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Who is actually running DOGE?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House said in a court filing that Elon Musk isn't the official head of Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency task force, raising questions about just who is overseeing DOGE's federal blitzkrieg
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump officials try to reverse DOGE-led firings
Speed Read Mass firings by Elon Musk's team have included employees working on the H5N1 bird flu epidemic and US nuclear weapons programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames Ukraine for war after US-Russia talks
Speed Read The US and Russia have agreed to work together on ending the Ukraine war — but President Trump has flipped America's approach
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?
Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The end of empathy
Opinion Elon Musk is gutting the government — and our capacity for kindness
By Theunis Bates Published
-
What is Donald Trump's net worth?
In Depth Separating fact from fiction regarding the president's finances is harder than it seems
By David Faris Published
-
How will Keir Starmer pay for greater defence spending?
Today's Big Question Funding for courts, prisons, local government and the environment could all be at risk
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published