Trump Delays Shutdown of Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status
President Trump postponed by two weeks the expiration of work permits for about 350,000 migrants with Temporary Protected Status after industries relying on these workers lobbied for relief.
According to Breitbart News, work authorization for Haitian beneficiaries under the humanitarian protection program will now expire on July 24, based on an update from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Meanwhile, work permits for TPS holders from Myanmar, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Somalia will terminate next Friday.
The work permits had originally been scheduled to end this Friday.
Multiple industries including nursing homes, hospitals, schools and airports that rely on workers holding these protections have been urgently lobbying the Trump administration behind closed doors for relief. Some employers had already begun terminating TPS holders prior to the announcement, labor organizations and unions confirmed.
Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) took credit for securing the delay, stating he was grateful the President and Secretary Mullin took this step following his conversations with them. The extension provides time for Haitian TPS holders to continue serving their communities and supporting their families while determining next steps, whether pursuing additional work authorizations, green cards, or other options, Lawler explained.
Lawler, who faces a competitive re-election campaign, receives backing from numerous donors who have constructed their business models around the expectation that the federal government will continuously supply migrant renters, consumers and workers.
Employers Benefit From Extension
Any postponement benefits employers by allowing them to extract additional profits from utilizing cheap migrant labor rather than hiring American workers at market-rate wages.
However, transitioning from TPS workers to American employees will prove painful and disruptive for on-site managers. A Boston Globe article from June featured one employer, Chris White, who laid off 130 migrants and was forced to increase overtime pay and bring in temporary relief staff to avoid cutting services.
The delay also provides employers with time to transfer migrants into questionable staffing companies. These staffing firms can supply migrants with fraudulent documentation that effectively serves as legal protection for employers seeking to avoid hiring Americans.
The additional time will enable further lobbying efforts aimed at securing another Trump concession that could keep these workers employed for additional weeks.
Trump Administration Enforcement
President Trump was elected with a clear popular mandate to enforce the nation’s immigration laws. Despite this, he has wavered under business pressure and instructed enforcement officials not to detain numerous illegal workers in the agriculture, hotel and restaurant sectors, as Breitbart News reports.
With information from Breitbart News
