Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) issued the following statement in response to the ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowing the Trump Administration to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan.
“There are over 300,000 immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Sudan who have been living and working under TPS protections in the United States for over two decades, including thousands of Nevadans. TPS recipients of all backgrounds are hardworking, taxpaying members of our community. They are our neighbors and friends. Many of them are essential workers who have been vital contributors to our health care, services and infrastructure workforces during the coronavirus pandemic. The Administration’s decision to end their protected status threatens the safety of these families and the vitality of Nevada’s economy and future. Our country cannot turn our backs on them. I will continue to stand up to protect these individuals and the contributions they make to America and Nevada.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto has repeatedly called on the Trump Administration to reinstate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of immigrants legally living in the United States. In April, she joined a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to automatically extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other immigrants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a cosponsor of the SECURE Act, which would provide TPS holders a path to citizenship.
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