WATCH: JOINT PRESS RELEASE | Alianza Americas | America’s Voice | CLINIC | CARECEN DC
For immediate release
October 9, 2026
Contact:
America’s Voice: press@americasvoice.org
press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD) joined Alianza Americas, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), CARECEN DC, and America’s Voice for a virtual press event marking one month since DHS failed to make a decision on the future of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador. Speakers, including the son of a Salvadoran TPS holder, detailed the human and legal toll of that inaction: lost jobs, blocked driver’s license renewals, and the threat of family separation for mixed-status households.
This legal limbo follows the Supreme Court’s June 25 ruling in Mullin v. Doe, which held that federal courts are largely barred from reviewing the Secretary of Homeland Security’s TPS decisions and cleared the way for terminations previously slowed by litigation. More than 170,000 Salvadorans who have lived and worked legally in the U.S., some for more than 25 years, now face the loss of their jobs and driver’s licenses, putting them at risk of immigration detention and deportation. Speakers called on the administration to follow the law and extend TPS for El Salvador, and on Congress to pass a permanent solution.
“Many Salvadorans have been here in Prince George’s County for 20, 30 years or more. They work hard. Their kids go to school with our kids, and they go to church with us,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04), whose district is home to approximately 90,000 Salvadorans. “The administration said it was going to focus on the worst of the worst. But this is disrupting families of people who’ve committed no crimes and have been making a difference here.”
“My mother has lived and worked in the United States for over 20 years under TPS. Now she faces the threat of being detained out of nowhere,” said Ronnie, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen and son of a Salvadoran TPS holder. “If she were detained, I would become my younger sister’s guardian, and realistically, I don’t think I could support her by myself. I want Americans to understand what thousands of children of immigrants are feeling right now. I just want a sense of normalcy for our family.”
“Government inaction is not a victory, and uncertainty is not protection. For more than two decades, Salvadoran TPS holders have built their lives in the United States, raising families, contributing to our economy, and strengthening our communities. Yet today, they face the consequences of the government's failure to provide clear legal guidance, putting their jobs, livelihoods, and futures at risk,” said Dulce Guzmán, Executive Director of Alianza Americas. “DHS must follow the law and provide clarity, but another temporary extension cannot be the ultimate solution. Salvadoran TPS holders deserve a pathway to permanent residency. Congress must act.”
“As an architect of the TPS law passed in 1990, we find it devastating to see these protections fall. TPS holders undergo background checks every time they reapply and have complied with every request this government has made of them,” said Abel Núñez, Executive Director of CARECEN of Washington, D.C. “This announcement has created chaos. Employers have terminated workers, and because driver’s licenses are tied to work permits, protections now depend on which state you live in. Salvadorans have earned a pathway to legal status and citizenship.”
“This uncertainty is not of their own making. It stems from this administration’s failure to make a decision as required by law, and no formal determination has been published in the Federal Register,” said Elnora Bassey, Policy Attorney at CLINIC. “That silence leaves mixed-status families fearing separation, workers unsure of the validity of their employment authorization, and legal practitioners unable to confidently advise their clients. We call on the administration to issue a formal determination, explain its legal basis, and provide clear guidance on TPS protections and work authorization.”
“Hundreds of thousands of people remain in the TPS program, but their lives are in limbo because this administration has refused to extend TPS for El Salvador,” said Mario Carrillo, Campaigns Director at America’s Voice, who facilitated the call. “And TPS for other countries is also ending, putting even more lives at great risk.”
Watch the full press call here.
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.
