Blumenthal & Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect TPS & DED Recipients Following Trump's Attacks

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined 30 of his colleagues in introducing legislation to provide qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency. The senators’ reintroduction of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency (SECURE) Act comes as the Trump Administration and the right-wing Supreme Court undermine TPS, a program that has for years provided refuge to those living in America who have fled natural disasters, violence, and political insecurity.

“As immigrant communities continue to come under attack, the SECURE Act provides a clear pathway to permanent residency—offering overdue, necessary protections for immigrants and the lives they’ve built in our nation. America is a nation of immigrants and has a storied history of providing opportunity and refuge for those fleeing hardship or crisis. Individuals with TPS and DED have made America their home—using their talents and skills to strengthen our economies and enrich our communities—often while the countries from which they fled remain in turmoil,” said Blumenthal.

The Trump Administration has revoked TPS for an estimated 563,000 recipients from five countries – Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Nepal. While there have been legal challenges filed against this action, the Supreme Court has temporarily allowed the revocation to stand – putting hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation to their home countries where they would face serious danger.

TPS is a temporary, legal immigration status granted to foreign citizens who are endangered by conditions in their home country resulting from extraordinary events such as ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or epidemic. TPS status is granted for set periods ranging from six to 18 months, requiring the Department of Homeland Security to extend a country’s status on a recurring basis. Each time a country is recertified, recipients must reapply and pass a thorough background check. Recent estimates found there are approximately 860,000 people with TPS in the United States.

Deferred enforced departure (DED) is a temporary and discretionary administrative stay of removal granted to foreign citizens from designated countries. Unlike TPS, a DED designation emanates from the President’s constitutional powers to conduct foreign relations and has no statutory basis. Grants are usually in response to war, civil unrest, or natural disasters, through an executive order or presidential memorandum that provides eligibility guidelines.

The SECURE Act will provide long-term stability for these individuals and their communities by giving them the ability to apply for legal permanent residency. Under the bill, all TPS recipients – current and past – and TPS and DED eligible individuals who have been continuously present in the United States for at least three years would be eligible to apply for legal permanent residency.

Additionally, under the SECURE Act:

• A spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried child of a qualifying non-citizen would be eligible to obtain permanent resident status (upon meeting certain requirements).
• Individuals with a pending TPS application will receive work authorization and be eligible for travel authorization.
• Non-citizens who have a pending application or is prima facie eligible for permanent status under the bill and intends to apply are shielded from deportation.
• Information from an applicant’s application may not be shared or used for immigration enforcement purposes, with limited exceptions, such as for the identification of fraudulent claims.
• DHS must report to Congress when terminating a country’s TPS designation with an explanation to justify the termination.

The legislation was led by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and also joined by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

This legislation is endorsed by AFL-CIO, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), CASA, National TPS Alliance, Working Families United, the National Network for Arab American Communities, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP).

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