WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will end protections for certain nationals of El Salvador, a source familiar with the decision tells CNN, a move that could leave more than 200,000 immigrants who have lived in the US more than 15 years without any legal status.
The termination will come with an 18-month wind down, according to the source, as the Department of Homeland Security recently did in ending other recent Temporary Protected Status for other countries. That time will allow individuals who have lived under the status to either seek other means of staying in the US or prepare to leave.
The widely expected move culminates a series of similar decisions from the Trump administration to substantially curtail the use of Temporary Protected Status — a protection from deportation and authorization to live and work legally for nationals of countries that have suffered a disaster such as war, an epidemic or natural disasters.
The DHS says more than 250,000 Salvadorans — all of whom are required to have lived in the US continually since 2001 — are covered by TPS. Previous estimates by the department have put the number who will most likely be left without other protections around 200,000.
The department is expected to announce the move Monday morning. A DHS spokesman declined to comment or confirm or deny the decision, referring to the upcoming scheduled announcement.
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