WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation to El Salvador. Over 250,000 people from El Salvador in the United States are protected by TPS, including mothers and fathers of U.S. citizens. If forced to leave the country, they could face grave danger in El Salvador.
Marselha Gonçalves Margerin, advocacy director for the Americas at Amnesty International USA, issued this statement:
“The end of TPS for El Salvador is a devastating betrayal for thousands of families who arrived at the United States seeking safety as well as their U.S. citizen children. If forced to return to El Salvador, mothers, fathers, and children could face extortion, kidnapping, coerced service to gangs, and sexual violence. By returning TPS recipients to El Salvador, the United States could be sending people to their deaths.”
Last week, Amnesty International USA wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, urging her to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation to El Salvador for another 18 months.
El Salvador is one of the countries in the Northern Triangle of Central America. It is widely recognized for extreme levels of violence and insecurity, which Amnesty has documented extensively as families have left the region seeking safety.
For more information contact: Jacob Kuehn, Media Relations 613-744-7667 ext 236 jkuehn@amnesty.ca
