U.S. extends protected status for Syrians for another 18 months

Syrian refugees arrive in the United States.
(Image credit: Joshua Lott/AFP/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced it is extending temporary protected status for some Syrians who fled civil war in their country.

Temporary protected status allows people from specific countries devastated by war or natural disaster to pay hundreds of dollars for permits that allow them to live and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation. As of last October, about 7,000 Syrians were participating in the program, and NPR reports that about 2,000 Syrian visa holders do not fit the requirements and are not covered by this new 18-month extension.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.