Letter to the Hon. Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security - Extend TPS Status for Thousands of Salvadorans in Nevada

Letter

Dear Secretary Nielsen:

I write to strongly urge you to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for individuals from El Salvador and Honduras and redesignate Haiti and Nicaragua for TPS. Ordering the deportation of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding individuals living and working in the U.S. is impractical, economically destructive, and inhumane. Failure to address the looming TPS crisis has the potential to separate families, undermine the U.S. economy, and send nearly 300,000 of our friends and neighbors back to countries they haven't lived in for decades.

My own state of Nevada is home to about 6,300 TPS holders from El Salvador, Haiti, and Honduras, along with their 5,200 American-born children. These individuals contribute significantly to our economy and constitute a major part of the state's hospitality workforce. TPS holders live and work legally in Nevada, contribute to payroll taxes, own businesses, shop at local stores, and are productive members of our community. The Center for American Progress estimates that ending TPS for Salvadorans alone would lead to over $250 million in GDP loss for Nevada. That is one reason why groups such as the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have come out in favor of extending TPS.

TPS recipients are also mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, neighbors, and friends, and they have built their lives here in Nevada. Most have lived and worked in our communities for many years, and in some cases, decades. In fact, the average Salvadoran TPS holder in Nevada has lived in the U.S. for over twenty years. Allowing TPS to expire would uproot people from their homes, destroy families, and collapse communities.

There is no question that Congress must act to provide relief to TPS recipients whose fate is currently in limbo, threatening their ability to remain in the country they know and love. However, in the meantime, it is imperative for the Administration to act now to ensure that families remain together, workers stay in their jobs, and the TPS program continues. I therefore implore you to extend Temporary Protected Status for individuals from El Salvador and Honduras and redesignate Haiti and Nicaragua for TPS immediately. The people of Nevada are counting on you.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your response and prompt action.

Sincerely,

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