The Biden administration has extended protections to more than 860,000 foreign nationals from deportation under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. This expansion has significantly increased the number of individuals shielded from removal from the United States.
According to data from the Congressional Research Service, approximately 864,000 foreign nationals are currently protected by TPS, who would otherwise face deportation. The countries covered by TPS include Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. Additionally, certain Palestinians, Liberians, and residents of Hong Kong are granted relief under Deferred Enforced Departure.
The expansion of TPS under President Biden has been significantly driven by the inclusion of nearly 345,000 Venezuelans, over 200,000 Haitians, more than 180,000 El Salvadorans, over 54,000 Hondurans, and more than 50,000 Ukrainians. A large proportion of these foreign nationals reside in Florida (nearly 300,000), Texas (almost 94,000), New York (67,840), and California (67,800).
Breitbart News previously reported that nearly 1.2 million foreign nationals are now eligible for TPS. The program, established under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990, was intended to provide temporary relief to individuals from countries experiencing severe conditions such as famine, war, or natural disasters.
Since its inception, TPS has evolved into a de facto amnesty program, with successive administrations—Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and now Biden—continuously renewing its designations for various countries. Critics argue that this transformation undermines the program’s original intent, turning temporary protection into a long-term solution for many migrants.
