The Supreme Court’s recent decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain countries has left hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including Salvadorans, in a state of uncertainty. Dalia, a 45-year-old project manager from El Salvador living in Long Island City, is one of the many affected by this ruling. She has been a TPS holder for over 25 years, working and living legally in the U.S. since she arrived as a teenager.

Understanding Temporary Protected Status

Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program that provides protection to immigrants from countries affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions. Created by Congress in 1990, TPS was initially designed to protect Salvadorans from returning to a country ravaged by civil war. In 2001, after two devastating earthquakes, Salvadorans like Dalia were granted TPS, allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S.

However, the program was meant to be temporary. Over the years, TPS holders have rallied for a pathway to citizenship, but a deadlocked legislature has failed to pass meaningful relief. The extensions continued, but the future of the program remains uncertain.

The Impact of the Supreme Court’s Decision

The Supreme Court’s decision not only ended TPS for certain countries but also limited the ability of federal courts to question the administration’s decisions to end protections. This ruling has left TPS holders like Dalia and Gladys, a 72-year-old home healthcare worker, vulnerable to deportation.

“Any day after tomorrow, Secretary Mullin [can] wake up in the morning and say, ‘You know what? I am angry with Salvadorians. We’re gonna cancel TPS.’ He will do it, and there is not the right to sue them if they don’t follow the [law] step by step,” said Jose Palma, a spokesperson for the National TPS Alliance.

For Dalia and the other 23,000 New York-area Salvadorans with TPS status, the clock is ticking. The government is due to announce whether it will extend TPS for El Salvador, which has protected her from deportation for over 25 years. If the government does not extend the protections, Dalia and others will lose their work permits and any legal way to support their families.

The Human Cost of Losing TPS

Losing TPS would be devastating for Dalia and her family. She worries about how long the president’s repressive mass incarceration campaign will stand in El Salvador and whether she could even find work as an older adult. “I don’t have anything,” she said. “I don’t have a house or even where to live there.”

Gladys, who has been living and working in the U.S. since 1991, shares similar concerns. She fears losing her social security check and facing old age with little support. “I still work,” she told Documented. “But if they change TPS, if they take it away, we lose everything.”

The Fight for a Permanent Solution

Despite the challenges, TPS holders like Dalia and Gladys continue to fight for a permanent solution. They have marched on Washington, held hunger strikes, and lobbied lawmakers for a pathway to citizenship. Their advocacy has not fallen on deaf ears, with some elected officials speaking out on the issue.

Natalia Navas, co-author of a Cornell study on TPS holders, emphasizes the importance of their contributions to the economy. “Attacking one person means attacking the whole family,” she said. “Businesses losing out on people, community members who are engaged in organizing, and church members, union members, right. So it’s not one person you remove and goes away to whatever country they send us to, it’s really attacking the fabric of our communities.”

As TPS holders nervously await the Trump administration’s decision, they are once again pushing Congress to pass legislation that would give them residency in the U.S. “We’re going to keep fighting,” said Navas. “And if we lose, at least we can tell our children that we tried.”