Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, leading a group of 18 state attorneys general, calls for a comprehensive review of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. The request, directed to Kristi Noem, nominee for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, challenges the extended durations of TPS designations, which in some instances go back to the 1990s, as reported by the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office.
The coalition suggests that the protection offered under TPS has overstayed its intended temporary nature. Notably, countries like Honduras have been under this status since 1998, straying far from the six to 18-month authorization period set by Congress during crises such as war or natural disasters. "This program has been applied too loosely, allowing noncitizens to live here indefinitely, even after it’s safe for them to return home," Yost said in a statement obtained by the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's official website. "Congress made these designations temporary for a reason – they were never supposed to last 20-plus years."
With DHS currently designating 17 countries for TPS, the states are pressing for a review, noting that the program should not act as a long-term residency option for immigrants unable to satisfy legal status requirements. The coalition's letter expresses concern that the current application of TPS increases "the financial and governmental strain on States." It further criticized the recent move by then-President Joe Biden to extend TPS designations into 2026 for about 1 million immigrants from nations including El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela before his term ended.
The attorneys general are urging Noem to prioritize a review of existing TPS designations, heeding a congressional mandate that requires the Department of Homeland Security secretary to end the status when a country’s conditions no longer match the criteria for TPS. Those supporting the review range from states like Alabama to Wyoming, each looking to address the overextension of a system meant to provide temporary refuge, not a de facto permanent residence.
.jpg){kind=link}