WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today business leaders from Florida and Texas sent letters to Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), calling on them to urge the administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras.
Ahead of a Sunday TPS extension deadline for Honduras and with Haiti and El Salvador’s deadlines looming, signatories are asking for an 18-month extension of TPS while Congress works toward a legislative solution. These business leaders join a growing number of voices calling for such an extension, including a recent letter from evangelical leaders.
The writers emphasize the essential role of these legally authorized workers, many of whom are critical to reconstruction efforts after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. They also warn that failure to extend their status would adversely impact businesses and local economies. Each state is home to nearly 45,000 TPS holders, of whom 70 percent in Florida and 84 percent in Texas participate in the labor force.
“Individuals with TPS are vital to the local economies to which they have contributed for years,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “Especially in the wake of recent natural disasters, TPS recipients have proved indispensable in the communities they call home. To terminate their status would be counterproductive to relief efforts and devastating to communities.”
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