Schakowsky: "Shame on President Trump" for ending TPS

Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Chief Deputy Whip, released the following statement in response to President Trump ending the Temporary Protected Status designation that allowed nearly 200,000 Salvadorans to remain in the United States:

“Since 2001, nearly 200,000 Salvadoran men, women, and children have been living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status. They are hard-working individuals who have started businesses, grown their families, and contributed immensely to their communities. With no option to apply for legal permanent residency or citizenship, they depended on our government to re-certify their status every 18 months. For 16 years, the American government did the right thing and recertified their status without hesitation. Now, President Trump has ripped it away.

“President Trump’s actions today cruelly echo his decisions to end the TPS program for Haiti and the DACA program – both of which needlessly threw hundreds of thousands of lives into chaos. The men, women, and children who benefited from TPS came to our country fleeing natural disasters and violence. They have become a crucial part of our communities and now face a perilous and uncertain future because of the Trump Administration’s extreme anti-immigrant agenda. Shame on President Trump.”

“Our country was built and made great through the hard work of immigrants and their families. As the proud daughter of immigrants and someone who is proud to represent an immigrant-rich district, I will continue to fight for a comprehensive, compassionate immigration policy that reflects the true character of our country. This begins by standing up for the rights of Dreamers in the ongoing spending negotiations and fighting for solutions to counter the xenophobic policies that rolled back TPS.”