Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colorado) introduced the TPS Extension Act of 2018, H.R. 6696, on September 4, 2018. The bill aims to extend the temporary protected status (TPS) of certain nationals of foreign states until September 15, 2021. TPS is granted by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to certain foreign-born individuals who cannot safely return to their home countries because of ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. As of January of this year, the Congressional Research Service reports that over 300,000 foreign nationals living in the United States possess TPS status. For more information about specific countries designated for TPS, see our fact sheet here.
What would the TPS Extension Act of 2018 do?
If enacted, the new bill would extend TPS for all current participating countries through September 15, 2021.
Why is the TPS Extension Act Time Sensitive?
Out of the ten countries currently participating in the TPS, all have expiration dates extending up to 2020, with Sudan being the most pressing one expiring on November, 2018.
Benefits of the TPS Extension Act:
- TPS holders participate in our economy. TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti contributea combined $4.5 billion in pre-tax wages or salary income annually to U.S. gross domestic product and $6.9 billion to Social Security and Medicare over a decade.
- TPS holders have high rates of labor force participation. 88.5 percent of TPS holders from El Salvador and Honduras are working. Male TPS holders work in the following sectors or occupations: construction and painting (23 percent), driving/deliveries (13.7 percent), cleaning buildings or houses (7.3 percent), gardening (5.4 percent), cooking (3.9 percent), or store clerk (2.5) percent. Female TPS holders work in these sectors or occupations: cleaning buildings or houses (27.9 percent), childcare (6.6 percent), cooking (5.2 percent), clothing manufacturing (4 percent) or store clerk (3.8 percent).
- TPS holders have established lives throughout the U.S. 30 percent of households with a Haitian, Honduran, or Salvadoran TPS holder have a mortgage. The six states with the largest populations of TPS holders from these three countries are California (55,000), Texas (45,000), Florida (45,000), New York (26,000), Virginia (24,000), and Maryland (23,000).
- The bill prevents family separation. About 273,000 U.S. citizen children have immigrant parents who are TPS holders. Extending TPS would continue to protect families from being separated due to deportation and parents from having to decide between leaving their children in America (such as Emily described in this news article) or taking them to a country and society that they do not know.