Senator Markey Statement on Temporary Protected Status Designation for El Salvador

Massachusetts is home to more than 7,000 Salvadoran TPS holders

Washington (September 9, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement today after the Trump administration temporarily kept in place Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador despite planning to end protections today. El Salvador continues to face severe environmental and humanitarian challenges, including an ongoing drought and recurring extreme weather and flooding, as well as other political conditions that make terminating protections cruel and potentially life threatening. The vast majority of Salvadoran TPS holders have children born in the United States.

"The Trump administration may have given El Salvador TPS holders a temporary reprieve but given its repeated attacks on TPS holders from other countries - who have legally lived, worked, and built their lives here for decades - agonizing uncertainty remains for Salvadorans. Congress must pass the SECURE Act to provide a permanent pathway to citizenship for TPS holders. We bear a fierce responsibility to protect children, keep families safely together, and defeat Trump's relentless assault on our neighbors and loved ones."

Senator Markey is a co-sponsor of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency (SECURE) Act, which would provide qualified TPS and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency.

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