This week, the Trump Administration announced that on September 19th, 2019 it will terminate the Temporary Protected Status program for approximately 200,000 immigrants from El Salvador who have lived in the United States since before 2001.  This decision will impact about 50,000 people in the state of California and threatens to tear their families apart, leaving their children without them.

This announcement follows a series of anti-immigrant attacks from this government.  In recent months, the administration has also announced that it will end TPS for thousands of Nicaraguan, Haitian and Sudanese refugees and immigrants.  We await news on what will occur with other countries who also depend on this program, including Honduras, Syria and Nepal.  Additionally, at the end of last year, the administration announced the termination of the DACA program, affecting 800,000 immigrant youth and their families, as well as directly attacked sanctuary cities and threatened the state of California for having passed the Values Act.

Juana Flores, MUA´s Executive Director, responded to the news, ¨Millions of Salvadorans have been forced to flee unlivable conditions such as violence, extreme economic inequality and natural disasters.  It is inhumane to take away protection from our families, neighbors and loved ones, who have already grown roots here.  Rather, it is necessary to struggle for a permanent solution which gives status to the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country.¨

MUA is committed to continuing the struggle on behalf of those impacted by this decision and to the work of defending and expanding the rights of all immigrants.  We will continue to educate ourselves about our rights and to organize to protect each other, participating in projects from rapid response networks to advocacy to change immigration policy.  We ask our community of immigrants and allies to stay united in resistance against the xenophobic and racist attacks of this administration, which attempt against our safety and health.  We demand that our Congressmembers act today to protect the immigrant community without any compromises that further endanger us.