Nearly 200,000 Salvadorans must leave US: Trump admin

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is ending special protections for Salvador an immigrants, forcing nearly 200,000 to leave the country or face deportation, officials said on Monday.

El Salvador is the fourth country whose citizens have lost Temporary Protected Status under President Trump, and have been, by far the largest beneficiaries of the programme, which provides humanitarian relief for foreigners whose countries are hit with natural disasters or other strife.

Two US officials discussed the decision on condition of anonymity with The Associated Press. One official said Salvador ans will have until September 2019 to leave the country or adjust their legal status.

Homeland Security Secretary K ir st jen Nielsen’ s decision, while not surprising, will send shivers through parts of Washington, Los Angeles, New York, Houston and other metropolitan areas that are home to large numbers of Salvador ans, who have enjoyed special protection since earthquakes struck the Central American country in 2001. Many have established deep roots in the US, starting families and businesses over decades.

It also represents a serious challenge for El Salvador, a country of 6.2 million people whose economy depends on remittances from wage earners in the US. Over the last decade, growing numbers of Salvador ans—many coming as families or unaccompanied children — have entered the United States illegally through Mexico, fleeing violence and poverty.

In September 2016, the O ba ma administration extended protections for 18 months, saying El Salvador suffered lingering harm from the 2001 earthquakes that killed more than 1,000 people and was temporarily unable to absorb such a large number of people. Homeland Security Secretary K ir st jen Nielsen faced a Monday deadline to decide whether to grant another extension.