US Bishops have spoken out against the 'heartbreaking' decision by the Department of Homeland Security under Donald Trump to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 200,000 Salvadoran migrants, leaving the future for their 192,000 US citizen children in question.
Yesterday it emerged that with the humanitarian migration programme now due to expire in September 2019, many TPS Salvadoran families who have lived in the US for almost 20 years will have to decide whether to separate from their US citizen children or bring them to a country where youth face threats of gang-violence.
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that US bishops from California and Texas expressed their concerns about the DHS decision, with Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin, Texas, who is chairman of the US bishops' migration committee, calling it 'heartbreaking'.
Bishop Vásquez said: 'We believe that God has called us to care for the foreigner and the marginalized...Our nation must not turn its back on TPS recipients and their families; they too are children of God.'
Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles called for a permanent path to residency and citizenship for the affected families, saying: 'In the meantime, the Catholic community will continue to walk with our brothers and sisters from El Salvador, opening our hearts to their families in love and charity and welcoming the gifts they bring to this great nation.'
Catholic Relief Services also released a statement yesterday condemning the decision, saying: 'From our experience working with the Catholic Church and other local partners in El Salvador, the Salvadoran government does not have adequate humanitarian capacity to receive, protect, or integrate back into society safely this many people.'
And today, Amensty International tweeted that the move was a 'devastating betrayal'. The human rights group added: 'By returning TPS recipients to El Salvador, the USA could be sending people to their deaths. Mothers, fathers and children could face extortion, kidnapping, coerced service to gangs, and sexual violence.'
TPS is a short-term immigration status granted to migrants to the US who cannot return safely to their country of origin because of armed conflict, natural disaster, or other extreme, temporary conditions.
Salvadorans currently represent the largest group of TPS recipients in the US. The DHS' decision was made after their evaluation that the current conditions in El Salvador have improved since the 2001 earthquake that led the US to grant temporary refuge for the Salvadorans.
But, as CNA noted, a delegation of US bishops to El Salvador in August examined the situation on the ground and concluded that 'the large size of the TPS population and the extreme protection and security issues apparent in El Salvador render the government unable to adequately handle the return of its nationals now'.
Bishop Vásquez added in his statement: 'TPS recipients are an integral part of our communities, churches, and nation. Without action by Congress, however, recipients' lives will be upended and many families will be devastated.'
