Is America Under Siege? Biden's "Temporary Protected Status" Policy Opens Floodgates To Criminals

By Victor Smiroff | Tuesday, 09 April 2024 05:15 AM
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Is America Under Siege? Biden's "Temporary Protected Status" Policy Opens Floodgates To Criminals

The Biden administration's expansion of the "temporary protected status" (TPS) program has led to a significant increase in the number of beneficiaries, according to recent findings by the Pew Research Center.

The data reveals that nearly 1.2 million individuals are either eligible for or currently receiving TPS, accounting for 5.5 percent of all noncitizen immigrants in the United States.

TPS offers immigrants from certain countries, deemed unsafe due to factors such as terrorism, political instability, violence, economic issues, or natural disasters, the opportunity to live and work in the U.S. for an 18-month period. Although TPS beneficiaries must still navigate the standard immigration process to attain permanent residency or citizenship, the program can be renewed indefinitely.

The Pew Research Center reports that despite former President Donald Trump's efforts to eliminate the program, President Biden has expanded the list of eligible countries to 16 since assuming office. The original list comprised El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. However, since 2021, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Venezuela have been added under the Biden administration.

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Venezuela's inclusion in the list has seen a significant surge in beneficiaries, with over 472,000 Venezuelans now availing of the program. This includes several high-profile cases involving Venezuelan immigrants committing heinous crimes, such as the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

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TPS beneficiaries are dispersed across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, with the largest populations residing in New York, Texas, California, and Florida. To qualify for TPS, applicants must demonstrate continuous residence in the U.S. since leaving their home countries and pass a criminal record check. Eligibility is restricted to those who have not engaged in terrorism or been convicted of any felonies or more than one misdemeanor in the U.S.

As reported by Roll Call, the TPS program empowers President Biden to bypass Congress and independently determine which countries should be included. The legislation was originally enacted by the Bush administration in 1990.

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