Quote:It has been revealed that the number of people currently living in the United States with "temporary protected status" has more than doubled following expansions of the program by the Biden administration. The Pew Research Center found that nearly 1.2 million are either eligible for, or receiving, TPS, making that group 5.5 percent of all noncitizen immigrants in the US.

Under TPS, immigrants from certain countries deemed unsafe to return to, for reasons varying from terrorism, political conditions, violence, economic concerns, or natural disasters, are given the ability to reside and work in the US for a period of 18 months. While those who wish to become permanent residents or citizens must still go through the proper channels like everyone else, TPS can be renewed indefinitely.

According to Pew, while Donald Trump attempted to nix the program entirely, since taking office the president has increased the number of eligible countries to 16.

The list originally included El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, however since 2021 the Biden admin has added Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

Since their nation was added to the list, the number of people from Venezuela taking advantage of the program has grown to over 472,000. There have been several high-profile cases of Venezuelan immigrants committing atrocious crimes, such as the murder of Georgia nuring student Laken Riley.

TPS beneficiaries are currently living in all 50 states, DC, and US territories, though the largest populations can be found in New York, Texas, California, and Florida.

TPS applicants must prove that they have lived in the US continuously since fleeing their home countries, and pass a criminal record check. Only those who have not practiced terrorism, or been convicted of any felonies or more than one misdemeanors in the US are eligible.

According to Roll Call, the program allows Biden to bypass Congress and decide himself which countries should be included. The legislation was passed by the Bush administration in 1990.