Long Considered a Lifeline, TPS Should be Reformed, Advocates Say

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security extended the Temporary Protected Status for Yemeni citizens in the United States, bringing relief to Brooklyn's Yemeni community. This extension ensures safety for undocumented individuals for another 18 months, but some immigration advocates say they are disappointed by the lack of a permanent immigration solution.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of TPS for Yemni citizens in early July, which affects about 4,000 people nationwide. For these people, the announcement buys them a little more time to remain and work in the U.S.

“For many people who fled what was happening abroad, this gave them a chance to live at ease and gave them an opportunity to progress, and work and support their families and their families abroad,” said Hizam Wahib, assistant executive director of the Arab-American Family Support Center, a Brooklyn based non-profit that helps people apply for TPS, among other services. 

“It really is only a temporary solution. [...] We’d eventually like to see policies that see people on TPS move forward and apply for lawful, permanent residency,” he added.

Saif Saeed is one of the many Yemeni Brooklynites with TPS. He arrived from Dubai in 2022, where, as a migrant, he was unable to earn enough to support his family. After struggling his first year in Brooklyn, he applied for the program and was approved the following month.

“I can work, I can enjoy my life because I have papers. TPS has done a lot of things for me,” said Saeed, who works in a retail store. 

Congress established TPS as part of the Immigration Act of 1990 to provide humanitarian relief to citizens whose countries were suffering from natural disasters, protracted unrest or conflict. 

The program allows migrants to stay in the U.S. with work authorization for varying amounts of time depending on their nationalities. 

The Department of Homeland Security must regularly renew the program through redesignation, meaning new people can apply, or for those who already have TPS, must re-register.

TPS is distinct from asylum in two main ways. First, people must be in the U.S. to apply. Second, it applies to all citizens of the designated countries, unlike asylum, which is considered on individual bases. 

Currently, individuals from 16 countries qualify for TPS, including those from Sudan, Venezuela and Ukraine.

The application takes under two hours to complete, according to caseworkers familiar with the process, and costs $600 (excluding legal fees). It can be filed online or by mail.

For undocumented foreign nationals of TPS-designated countries, the program is currently the best option to settle into the country and earn an income, immigration advocates say.

“When you’re illegal, you do not live a dignified life. [...] You’re always used, you’re always abused, because you’re out of status. [TPS] is a way to give you a dignified life,” said Dr. Abdulhakim Alsadah, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Yemeni Americans and an adjunct professor of Government and Political Science at Henry Ford College in Michigan.

Conditions have been dire in Yemen since 2015, when Saudi Arabia, with support from the United States, invaded the country with the stated goal of halting a Houthi rebel takeover. The conflict killed over 160,000 people, displaced over 4 million, and precipitated a near famine. A truce has been in effect between Saudi Arabia and Yemeni Houthi rebels since 2022, but conflict persists. 

After TPS was granted to Syria in 2012, Dr. Alsadah said he, along with a coalition of organizations, pushed for a similar extension for Yemeni citizens in 2015. 

All governmental decisions around immigration are complex and have multiple factors, as they not only connect to domestic affairs, but also international relations, explained Dr. Alsadah.

Research shows TPS offers financial benefits to its recipients and the national economy. According to a 2019 study from New American Economy, 94% of TPS holders are in the labor force and contributed $891 million a year in federal taxes. 

Not only do TPS holders contribute to the economy, but their status here allows them to support their community abroad, the report said. TPS holders from El Salvador sent back $4.6 billion to their home country in 2017.

However, TPS can also be a tool used to create a benevolent image of the U.S. abroad while they pursue foreign policy ambitions, research has found. Particularly in countries where the U.S. is blamed for domestic issues, TPS is a way to denote good intentions and build opposition to anti-American foreign leaders, experts say.

Despite TPS providing some temporary breathing room, Amer Ze, an artist and resident of Brooklyn who arrived from Yemen as a child, said much more needs to be done by the U.S. government.

“Open the airport. Let more people come here with work visas, student visas. After all, you did support the war in our country,” said Ze. 

He believes the U.S. is largely responsible for the destruction of Yemen as the government aided Saudi Arabia’s invasion and continues to attack the country as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.

“Go to the bank, take out some money, start paying reparations. We need reparations, we don’t need extended stay,” he said.