Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined 29 Senate colleagues in putting forward legislation to provide qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency. The Senators’ reintroduction of this legislation – the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency (SECURE) Act – comes as the Trump Administration and the right-wing Supreme Court undermine TPS, a program that has for years provided refuge to those living in America who have fled natural disasters, violence, and political insecurity. The Trump Administration has revoked TPS for an estimated 563,000 recipients from five countries – Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Nepal – and while there have been legal challenges filed against this action, the Supreme Court has temporarily allowed the revocation to stand – putting hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation to their home countries where they would face serious danger.
This legislation is endorsed by AFL-CIO, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), CASA, National TPS Alliance, Working Families United, the National Network for Arab American Communities, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP).
“As the Trump administration terrorizes immigrant communities and arbitrarily revokes TPS and DED for law-abiding immigrants, it’s important that we speak up and push back every way we can, and support individuals who are contributing to our communities and would be at severe risk if they were to be forced to return to their countries of origin,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the SECURE Act to provide immigrants with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure a path to legal permanent residency.”
“America has long used the TPS and DED programs to offer special legal protections to individuals in the United States whose lives would be put at extreme risk if forced to return to their countries of origin. As they’ve sought safety and stability here, TPS and DED recipients have built new lives in America, living here legally for years – sometimes decades – and making important contributions to our communities. But the Trump Administration is threatening both the lives they have built and the safety of these individuals – forcing TPS recipients to return to dangerous places like Haiti, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and more. This bill offers much-needed certainty to TPS and DED recipients – providing a path to stay safely in the U.S. and continue to call America their home,” said Senator Van Hollen.
Senators Murray and Van Hollen were joined in introducing this legislation by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“Immigrant workers are under unprecedented attack: hundreds of thousands of people have been stripped of their legal status and work authorization, throwing families and industries into chaos and uncertainty. Workers with Temporary Protected Status, many of whom have lived and worked in our country for decades, are vital members of our communities and our unions. The SECURE Act is common-sense legislation that would provide TPS holders with stable, permanent lawful status so they can continue to raise their families, work, and contribute to our economy,” said Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President.
“LIUNA commends Senator Van Hollen for his tireless efforts to protect workers and their family members who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), many of whom are members of our union and who have lived and worked in the U.S. for decades. About 1/3 of TPS holders work in construction. The SECURE Act will not only provide permanence to these hard-working immigrants, but will also help the U.S. economy by retaining these valued immigrants in our workforce,” said Brent Booker, General President, LIUNA.
“Every day, thousands of people with TPS and DED who have built their lives, families, and futures here are forced to live with fear and uncertainty. They deserve more than endless waiting; they deserve real, permanent protection. As attacks on immigrant communities grow across the country, we must act without hesitation. We are grateful to Senator Van Hollen’s leadership – in this time of growing instability, the SECURE Act will offer dignity, safety, and security for our community,” said Cathryn Jackson, Public Policy Director of CASA.
“Immigrant families and allies continue to advocate for permanent protections. The National TPS Alliance calls for long-overdue justice to our immigrant communities. The reintroduction of the SECURE Act in the Senate addresses the uncertainty that our families have been living for years. This bill is timely, ensuring that TPS holders don’t fall out of status and in turn preventing irreparable harm to whole communities, continuing critical contributions to the nation’s economy. We urge congressional leaders to support this critical effort,” said Mardoel Hernandez, TPS recipient from Honduras and National TPS Alliance Executive Committee Member.
“TPS holders, including members of my own union, contribute to our economy every single day. Some may not know it, but our society is dependent on TPS holders in different industries, including in the building and construction trades. We need the SECURE act so these workers can continue living, working, and raising their families without fear,” said IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams, Jr.; IUPAT is a member of the Working Families United Coalition.
“The SECURE Act offers overdue protection for hundreds of thousands living in fear of being uprooted from the families, homes, and careers they built. The National Network for Arab American Communities believes this bill reflects a critical truth: our democracy and safety are strongest when everyone has the opportunity to live and contribute freely and lawfully,” said Rima Meroueh, Director, National Network for Arab American Communities.
“Now more than ever, we need a solution for immigrants with Temporary Protected Status from countries like El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela and Haiti, whose lives have been in limbo under the chaos of this administration. We applaud the reintroduction of the SECURE Act by Senator Chris Van Hollen, which would create a path to citizenship for these individuals who contribute billions to our economy and whose lives would be in danger if they were sent back immediately to their home countries,” said Rocio Saenz, Secretary-Treasurer, SEIU.
“The ILWU stands in strong support of the SECURE Act, a commonsense measure that serves our country’s interests and recognizes the dignity and contributions of TPS and DED holders — hardworking individuals who have paid their taxes, contributed to our economy, and been model members of our communities. These men and women have earned a chance to live without fear, continue to contribute to their communities and build their lives in the country they’ve long called home. We urge Congress to pass this vital legislation without delay,” said International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Robert Olvera.
“Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP) endorses the SECURE Act as a critical step toward justice and stability for immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). For decades, these communities—Black, Asian, brown, working-class immigrants from countries facing war, repression, and climate disaster—have lived, worked, and raised families in the U.S. They are essential to our economy, our neighborhoods, and our collective future. Yet they continue to live in uncertainty, without a pathway to permanent protection. The SECURE Act honors their dignity, recognizes their profound contributions, and upholds our nation’s values of fairness and humanitarian responsibility. We urge Congress to act with courage and conscience and pass this bill without delay,” said Carolyn Tran, Executive Director, Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP).
TPS is a temporary, legal immigration status granted to foreign citizens who are endangered by conditions in their home country resulting from extraordinary events such as ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or epidemic. TPS status is granted for set periods ranging from six to 18 months, requiring the Department of Homeland Security to extend a country’s status on a recurring basis. Each time a country is recertified, recipients must reapply and pass a thorough background check. Recent estimates found there are approximately 860,000 people with TPS in the United States.
Deferred enforced departure (DED) is a temporary and discretionary administrative stay of removal granted to foreign citizens from designated countries. Unlike TPS, a DED designation emanates from the President’s constitutional powers to conduct foreign relations and has no statutory basis. Grants are usually in response to war, civil unrest, or natural disasters, through an executive order or presidential memorandum that provides eligibility guidelines.
The SECURE Act will provide long-term stability for these individuals and their communities by giving them the ability to apply for legal permanent residency. Under the bill, all TPS recipients – current and past – and TPS and DED eligible individuals who have been continuously present in the United States for at least three years would be eligible to apply for legal permanent residency.
Additionally, under the SECURE Act:
- A spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried child of a qualifying non-citizen would be eligible to obtain permanent resident status (upon meeting certain requirements).
- Individuals with a pending TPS application will receive work authorization and be eligible for travel authorization.
- Non-citizens who have a pending application or is prima facie eligible for permanent status under the bill and intends to apply are shielded from deportation.
- Information from an applicant’s application may not be shared or used for immigration enforcement purposes, with limited exceptions, such as for the identification of fraudulent claims.
- DHS must report to Congress when terminating a country’s TPS designation with an explanation to justify the termination.
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