Temporary protected status holders add $29bn to US economy, report says | US news
Temporary protected status (TPS) holders, who have historically been protected from deportation due to security concerns in their home countries, contribute nearly $29 billion to the U.S. economy each year, according to a new report released this week.
Findings from this reportThis claim from FWD.us comes a week before the high court is set to hear arguments challenging the Trump administration’s attempts to strip TPS status for Syrians and Haitians. It has also been almost a week since the House passed legislation to protect Haitian immigrants whose protected status is at risk.
People with TPS were allowed to live in the United States after the government deemed their home country unsafe due to war, political instability, and even natural disasters. Last year, the Trump administration attempted to cut the program to several countries.
According to the report, approximately 800,000 US citizens nationwide live with TPS holders. Estimates show that approximately 1.3 million people had TPS by the beginning of the second Trump administration.
The report also found that TPS holders pay nearly $8 billion in federal, payroll, state and local taxes combined.
“Despite these deep ties, the Trump administration has moved to end protections for a large portion of TPS holders, including more than 600,000 Venezuelans and nearly 330,000 Haitians,” FWD.us said in a statement. “Not only do conditions in these countries threaten people’s ability to return safely, but these families are now integrated into communities across the country.”
The release of the report comes after the House of Representatives last week passed legislation expanding temporary protection for Haitian immigrants. The bill was pushed by Democrats and received unusual support from a small group of Republicans who are challenging their party’s leadership.
“I know firsthand how important our Haitian neighbors are to our communities, civic life, culture, workforce and economy,” said Massachusetts House representative Ayanna Pressley, who sponsored the bill, according to the Associated Press.
The high court will hear arguments April 29 regarding the administration’s efforts to end TPS for Syrians and Haitians living in the United States. Lower courts had previously ruled against the Trump administration, delaying the administration’s attempts to end the program. Two separate cases, one for Syrians and the other for Haitians, are being brought together for the high court to review. Lawyers and immigration experts pointed to dangerous conditions in both countries as a reason why the program should continue.
Last year, the Trump administration aggressively attacked the program, revoking the legal immigration status of nearly 1 million people and putting them at risk of deportation. In total, the administration sought to remove protections for people from 13 different countries identified by TPS. The anti-TPS maneuvers are part of the administration’s broader attempts to undermine immigrants who are legally in the United States.
The TPS program, created more than 30 years ago, does not offer a path to citizenship but does give holders work permits. Some of the TPS designations successfully repealed by the administration include Afghanistan, Honduras, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Other countries whose TPS designations have been cut include Myanmar, Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan and Syria, and these are currently being challenged in the courts.
