President Joe Biden’s administration has extended temporary protected status to 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 200,000 Salvadorans in the United States, just 10 days before Donald Trump vowed to crack down on immigration.

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday cited the “inhumane” government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in for his third six-year term on the same day, an extension that would allow migrants to stay for an additional 18 months. makes DHS also issued protections for about 100,000 people from Ukraine and 1,900 from Sudan.

The decision to extend TPS, which protects immigrants from deportation and allows them to work legally in the U.S., fulfills Biden’s promise to protect those he and others consider most vulnerable. are The measure also blocks any attempt by the incoming Trump administration to regulate and potentially eliminate protections for some of these same groups.

TPS has become a target of Republicans who have argued that it is granted too liberally to too many aliens, and serves as a draw for immigrants to come to the U.S. illegally. The program has been aggressively expanded under Biden.

Border crossing

In the past several years, Venezuelans have been among the largest groups of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border without authorization to seek asylum. The TPS program for the South American country initially received widespread support.

About 1 million people from 17 countries are living in the United States under TPS.

Trump has repeatedly said he would rescind TPS protections and has sought to end the program for several countries during his first administration. “Absolutely, I’m going to repeal it, and I’m going to bring them back to their country,” he told News Nation, speaking of Haitians living in Ohio in October.

Haitian immigrants became a flashpoint and target of misinformation during the election when Trump and others made baseless accusations that immigrants eat pets. Haiti’s immigrant protections are set to expire in February 2026.

TPS was established as part of the Immigration Act of 1990 under President George HW Bush. Its purpose is to protect aliens already in the United States from deportation during periods of political conflict, natural disasters, or armed conflict in their home countries.

Salvador Extensions

But for some nations, including El Salvador, protections have been extended under multiple administrations over the decades.

El Salvador was first included in the program in early 2001 after a series of earthquakes. More than 230,000 Salvadorans are protected under this program.

DHS said the latest renewal is justified by “ongoing conditions from environmental disasters that have resulted in substantial, but temporary, disruptions to living conditions in affected areas of El Salvador.” He cited significant storms and heavy rains in 2023 and 2024.

DHS said protections for Venezuelans are being extended “based on the humanitarian emergency the country is facing due to the political and economic crises under the inhumane Maduro regime.”

Maduro was sworn in on Friday amid international condemnation of a rigged election and a brutal crackdown on dissent. The US government is among many who have accused him of taking power illegally after losing the election.

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