A New Type of TPS is Needed
Threats to survival, rather than climate disasters or earthquakes, justify a new TPS for the Northern Triangle
Crédito: EFE
Serious safety issues in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras fully justify granting Temporary Protection Status (TPS) to citizens of those countries to avoid deportation. A group of Salvadorians and Hondurans already have access to TPS, but the permission must be revised in order to address the dangers looming in the so-called Northern Triangle.
Current TPS eligibility is based on a clause that protects people who have been affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods or droughts, which disrupt their living conditions. Under this legal framework, Hondurans and Salvadorians received the authorization in 1998 and 2001, respectively, which required the beneficiaries to demonstrate their presence and residency in the U.S. from that date.
Today, the situation is very different. People continue to flee the area, but the weather is no longer the reason. The region has become a hotbed of crime and homicide, ranking among the most dangerous in the world. In 2015, an estimated 17,500 murders were committed there, surpassing the figures registered in war-torn areas of the Middle East and Africa.
The violence affects women and children disproportionately. In the last 6 years, the Northern Triangle tops the lists of femicides, and El Salvador and Guatemala have some of the highest rates of assassinated minors in the world.
These are powerful motives for mothers and children to escape en masse toward the U.S. border. The risks they face in their journey are numerous, but staying in their country under a permanent death threat proves even more distressing. The recent changes in the process to request asylum in the U.S. for people from that region acknowledge that the situation they face is extremely challenging.
It is time to make new TPS guidelines that recognizes the extraordinary situation in these countries preventing their citizens from returning home for security concerns. In many cases, it is a matter of life and death.
The new TPS will earn the criticism of those who only care about deporting undocumented people, but the right thing within the law must be done in order to protect those who have real reasons to fear for their lives.
