TPS for 170,000 Salvadorans May Expire in September 2026

What if the federal government simply says nothing — and your legal right to stay in the US disappears by default? That is the situation facing roughly 170,000 Salvadoran TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders right now. The deadline for the government to announce an extension passed last Saturday, July 12, 2026. Federal authorities have not made any announcement. Protections are set to expire in early September 2026.

Who is affected and what is at stake

TPS — Temporary Protected Status — is a humanitarian protection that lets people from certain countries live and work legally in the US when conditions at home make return dangerous. Congress created it in 1990. Salvadorans first received it because of a civil war, then again after deadly earthquakes in 2001. The designation was extended repeatedly for 25 years. Now, with no extension announced, roughly 23,000 Salvadoran TPS holders in the New York metro area alone face the loss of their work authorization and legal status. Nationwide, the number is 170,000. According to Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-NY), who held a press conference Monday, Salvadoran TPS holders contribute over $5 billion to the national economy and pay more than $1.5 billion in taxes each year. To keep TPS, holders must pay taxes and pass repeated background checks — requirements they have met for decades.

Jose Urias, a business owner who joined Monday's press conference by video from Maryland, described the immediate financial damage. Banks have stopped offering him loans because his status expires in roughly 60 days. "I'm a risk for the banks," he said. Jose Palma, a spokesperson for the National TPS Alliance and a TPS recipient himself for nearly three decades, described families with children in middle school, high school, and college — all now told they may have 60 days to leave the only country they have ever known. The Supreme Court ruled last month to limit TPS holders' ability to legally challenge decisions that would make them deportable, which reduces the options available to fight an adverse ruling in court.

What politicians are doing — and what it means for you

Congressman Suozzi has sent multiple letters to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding alternative legal pathways — sometimes called "off-ramps" — that would let Salvadoran TPS holders remain in the US legally. On Friday, July 11, 2026, more than 80 House representatives, including seven from New York, signed a letter urging President Trump to extend TPS and warning against sending people back to what they called "a country beset by documented state-sponsored human rights abuses." Representatives Adrian Espaillat (D-NY) and others from California and Maryland have also added their voices. Advocates are pushing not just for another 18-month extension but for a permanent legislative solution in Congress — though no such bill has passed.

What to do

• Check your TPS expiration date immediately. If your Employment Authorization Document (EAD — the card that lets you work legally) expires before or around September 2026, contact an immigration lawyer now to review your options.
• Ask an immigration attorney whether you qualify for any other legal status — such as a green card through a US citizen family member or employer — that could protect you if TPS ends. TPS itself does not provide a direct path to a green card, but other options may exist depending on your situation.
• Document your ties to the US: tax returns, employment records, children's school enrollment, property ownership. Lawyers say this evidence matters in any future hearing or application.
• Contact your local elected officials. Congressman Suozzi's office and organizations like the National TPS Alliance and workers' union 32BJ SEIU are actively coordinating advocacy efforts and may connect you with free or low-cost legal help.

Related: our step-by-step guide — “How to Apply for Asylum”.