Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) does not count as a lawful admission into the U.S. The following is a statement from Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice, regarding the decision and its implications:
Today’s Supreme Court ruling is undoubtedly a blow for TPS holders and their families. While the decision does not affect all of the over 400,000 people covered by TPS, it sets a dangerous precedent and serves as an urgent reminder that it is well past time for Congress to protect TPS holders, their families, and communities and grant them permanent protections from potential deportation back to unsafe conditions.
Let’s be clear, many TPS holders have lived in the U.S. longer than any other country. They have families, children and spouses who are U.S. citizens and their lives, careers, mortgages and small businesses are here – permanently. Yet, there is no practical path to permanency or citizenship for TPS holders and millions of other immigrants. Having demonstrated to the nation how integral they are to American communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, America still denies them the full rights, responsibilities, privileges and obligations of citizenship.
The fates of TPS holders cannot continue to be held by the whims of courts or changing administrations. This ruling is the perfect case study of why Democrats must move forward with urgency to secure citizenship for America’s immigrant workers and families. It is more evident than ever that the Senate must follow the House’s lead and protect TPS holders, DACA recipients, and farmworkers by granting them pathways to citizenship through House-passed American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act or take up the Senate Dream and SECURE Act bills.
