The Biden administration extended and expanded Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopian nationals in the US.
The DHS granted TPS to about 15,100 Ethiopians, allowing them to remain in the country and receive work authorization through December 2025 due to conditions in Ethiopia.
“Temporary Protected Status provides individuals already present in the United States with protection from removal when conditions in their home country prevent their safe return,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated.
Existing TPS holders from Ethiopia had their status extended.
Additionally, over 12,800 Ethiopians who arrived by April 2022 will now be eligible for TPS.
“That is the situation facing Ethiopians who arrived here on or before April 11 of this year. We are granting them protection through this temporary form of humanitarian relief that the law provides,” Mayorkas stated.
“About 2,300 Ethiopians in the United States can retain their TPS designation and extend it through December 2025, while an additional 12,800 Ethiopians will become eligible for TPS to stay in the U.S. so long as they tell DHS officials they have been in the country since April 11 or before,” Mayorkas wrote.
Student visas were also expanded to allow eligible Ethiopian students on F-1 visas to work more hours and take a reduced course load while maintaining their status.
Critics argue TPS has become a backdoor amnesty program as successive administrations continuously renew and expand the program.
Under Biden, the TPS population has ballooned to nearly 1.2 million foreign nationals living in the US with only this temporary status.
