FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 14, 2026

Contact: Communication | info@uusj.org

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DHS furthers the limbo begun by the Supreme Court

Washington, DC – September 14, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections and work authorizations for El Salvador’s nearly 170,000 beneficiaries remain valid, even though the program passed its scheduled September 9, 2026, expiration deadline without an official extension from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In June 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision in Mullins v. Doe that removed safeguards for newcomers to the United States under TPS, perhaps precipitating the end of TPS. As of September, TPS has been terminated for individuals from nearly all the countries with TPS.

Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated guidance to confirm that eligible TPS beneficiaries from El Salvador, whose Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal applications remain pending, will receive a notice extending their expired work permits. USCIS  announced it will issue extension notices by mail and electronically to individuals with the pertinent accounts. That notice, together with an expired TPS-based EAD, may be presented to employers as proof of continued employment authorization for the time being. With this DHS maneuver, the legal status for people born in El Salvador becomes rather nebulous, or at least complicated.

In response to the de facto extension of work permits by DHS, Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, said:

“We hold the Temporary Protected Status community in our prayers this September, as consequences for TPS mount and the apprehensions of TPS holders increase.

We hear and see what is happening to the Haitian community and others: those from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Honduras, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen, who have had their status terminated already. Many are part of a cascade of such decisions following the June 2026 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Mullin v. Doe.

We fear what is in store for the Lebanese, Salvadorans, Sudanese, Ukrainians and those from Hong Kong.

While we count the de facto extension of work permits for the nearly 170,000 who are TPS beneficiaries from El Salvador as a victory, as evidence that civil society interventions can work, even in times of weaponized bureaucracy, we feel called to say clearly that the legal limbo and uncertainty created by DHS and the Supreme Court regarding TPS is unfair and unjust. 

If our government adheres to federal law, protections are automatically extended for six months beyond the forgone September 9 deadline for Salvadorians. If it decides to terminate TPS for El Salvador officially, holders should be entitled to 60 days of continued status after that decision. 

We reiterate our call for permanent legal pathways to citizenship, and compassion in humanitarian extensions. In doing so, we join many faith-based and civil society actors. 

We urge Congress to think systemically and support measures like the American Dream and Promise Act. We also urge Members to support legislation such as the Haiti TPS Extension Bill and similar measures for each TPS community that provide an immediate and targeted humanitarian response.

Our faith tradition calls us to center the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We do not see that here on TPS.”

 

Established in 1999, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice is a network of Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations that lifts up the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope to advance equitable national policies and actions aligned with UU values through witness, education, and advocacy. We envision a just, compassionate, and sustainable world community. 

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