LYNN — Fear struck the Salvadoran population Monday when the Trump administration said it is ending special protections for immigrants from El Salvador, making it the fourth country whose citizens have lost federal Temporary Protected Status under President Donald Trump, but locals protected under the temporary status remain positive.
“This is kind of a really clear message for people who have been protected by TPS that this is the end,” said Jose Palma, who has lived in Lynn for 15 years and is currently protected under TPS. The temporary protected status was established to protect people from deportation who come to the United States from countries ravaged by natural disasters, wars, or both.
Salvadorans have been the largest beneficiaries of the program since earthquakes killed more than 1,000 people in 2001. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen determined El Salvador received significant international aid to recover from the earthquake and that homes, schools, and hospitals have been rebuilt. More than 39,000 Salvadorans have returned home from the US in the past two years, which shows the country’s capacity to absorb people. The action could force 200,000 to leave the United States by September 2019 or face deportation.
The 18-month delay is intended to give Salvadorans and their government time to prepare, and Congress time to develop a legislative change if it chooses.
But many fear for the safety of deportees as they return to a violent country that cannot absorb the amount of people that will be returning at once, said Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition executive director Eva Millona in a statement.
“The termination of TPS for Salvadorans will cause a humanitarian crisis,” she said. “It will force thousands of mothers and fathers in Massachusetts to choose between exposing their children to kidnapping and gang violence, or breaking up their families to keep them safe. That’s outrageous and unforgivable.”
Palma, the Massachusetts TPS Committee Coordinator, said there are about 5,000 people who have been granted the temporary status in the state, and many live in Lynn. In the wake of the decision, he said he plans to tell people to continue meeting and trying to find a solution that can provide people with permanent residence.
“I will say ‘get involved and understand the decision,’ and whenever the time comes to renew their TPS, to renew it,” said Palma. “People should reregister to get their work permits that will protect them from now until Sept. 2019. People have been here for so many years, they may qualify for something else.”
He will host an informational conference Sunday at the Most Holy Redeemer Parish on London Street in East Boston.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
