WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has sought information about the process by which the Homeland Security Department reviews the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation.
TPS was established by Congress to provide a temporary shield from removal for foreign nationals from countries with extraordinarily adverse conditions, like ongoing armed conflict or natural disaster. The TPS designation, however, has been renewed for nearly 20 years for some countries. In some cases, countries have retained a TPS designation even though foreign nationals are being approved for non-immigrant visas, which requires American consular officials and foreign nationals to believe country conditions are not sufficiently dire to inhibit return.
Several TPS designation reviews are required by law in the next several months. In a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, Grassley inquired about the process of these reviews, what data is used and what steps the agency takes to ensure the reasonable departure of those previously granted TPS.
Grassley’s letter to Duke