The White House on Monday announced plans to revoke temporary immigration status first granted to Salvadorans after a series of devastating earthquakes nearly 20 years ago. California, which is home to more “temporary protected status” (TPS) recipients than any other state, will be especially hard hit.
According to the Center for Migration Studies, more than 49,000 TPS recipients from El Salvador live in the Golden State. While most of them reside in Los Angeles, many call the South Bay home.
Santa Clara County is one of the most diverse regions in the nation, with a 40 percent foreign-born population that contributes billions of dollars to the local economy.
Many Salvadoran TPS grantees are homeowners. Zillow Research found that nearly 15,000 of them own property in California, which generates an estimated $24 million a year in property taxes.
Trump’s TPS decree could complicate talks on Capitol Hill about how to protect some 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, known as Dreamers. The president gave Congress until March to come up with a legislative fix for DACA recipients, 200,000 of whom live in California. He’s now giving lawmakers until fall of 2019 to come up with a bill to protect Salvadorans.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein issued a statement on Monday blasting Trump for failing to consult with her or fellow California Senator Kamala Harris.
“Threatening deportation would tear tens of thousands of California families apart,” Feinstein said.
She added: “This is yet another example of the Trump administration taking an action with significant consequences for California without making any attempt to understand the harm it would cause.”
Feinstein also announced that she teamed up with senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen to introduce legislation that would provide permanent protection from deporation to TPS recipients.
“In light of this decision to eliminate TPS for El Salvadorans, Congress must move it,” she said. “El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Trafficking of women and girls is rampant. Gangs target citizens for extortion and security services often fail to protect the innocent. As a country, we shouldn’t force people to return to a violent and deadly environment.”
“Many Salvadoran TPS grantees are homeowners. Zillow Research found that nearly 15,000 of them own property in California, which generates an estimated $24 million a year in property taxes.”
If the retention argument is based on property taxes, then deportation is more beneficial to society. Additional revenue from property transfer and increased taxes from home price increases would add millions more to the economy, lower subsidized school costs, and perhaps make more space available in low income housing and neighborhoods.
Separately, don’t believe Feinstein or Harris consult with Trump before they propose items. Why should they expect it?
There may be good reasons to oppose deportation, but the economic argument seems flawed.
An astute observation txpyr.
Once again the Left opportunistically cries up the benefit to society of increased tax revenue. Yippee! More money for our government! I admit that maintaining extravagant government worker benefits ARE of supreme importance but just keep printing them more money for crying out loud.
So fine. If more money for our government is the bottom line then let’s kick the illegal Salvadorans out forcing them to sell their property and get even MORE money for our government based on the increased property value assessments if that’s so important to you Harris & Feinstein. These Salvadoran “refugees” have been getting a Proposition 13 free ride long enough!
> “El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Trafficking of women and girls is rampant. Gangs target citizens for extortion and security services often fail to protect the innocent.
Well, duh!
How do we know that the Salvadoran’s we let into the country aren’t the murderers, rapists, traffickers and gang bangers?
And, by the way, have ANY of these “temporary immigrants” expressed one speck of gratitude for American hospitality?
The word “thanks” does NOT seem to be in their vocabulary. Only the word “more”.
Actually we do know of the rapists, etc. allowed into the country from El Salvador: MS-13 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-13
The USCIS page explicitly states that TPS – shockingly – oiffers *temporary* protected status for Salvadorans who meet certain criteria. One of those is that they must have lived in the US continuously since Feb 13, 2001. There are other criteria, but this one is actually quite important, since, according to the very same Center for Migration Studies which you cite states that the average TPS recipient (though they likely mean median) moved here *illegally* four years *before* the earthquakes which were the impetus for creating TPS in the first place: “TPS beneficiaries work, large numbers are homeowners, they have 192,700 US citizen children, and have lived in the United States (on average) for 21 years.” (http://cmsny.org/statement-tps-el-salvador/) in other words, in the same breath CMS uses to decry the Trump administrations decision is also used to acknowledge the rampant abuse of the program. If that doesn’t legitimize the administrations decision, I don’t know what does.
TPS was meant as a stopgap, charitable program meant to give victims of those two earthquakes a temporary status – the ability to live and work *legally*, albeit *temporarily* in the US. It was never meant to be a permanent status, as the name of the program makes perfectly clear. Nor is it a refugee program, as critics of the Trump administration’s decision seem to believe.
No recipient of TPS – legitimate, or not – should have ever expected that they would become permanent residents. That was never part of the deal. And 16 years of ‘status’ is more than enough for the country to have recovered from the earthquakes in question. Whether or not the El Salvador has recovered is besides the point.
Finally, if we used Senator Feinstein’s criteria for permitting TPS recipients to remain in the country as a guide for immigration policy, we’d be letting in pretty much everyone from El Salvador, from parts of Colombia, from North Korea, from virtually all of Africa and the Middle East and many other places throughout the word into the US as legal immigrants. Her assertion is emotion based, not founded in facts, or anything remotely reasonable. And, she also ignores the degree of abuse of the program which exists and the fact that the very same Salvadoran gangs she mentions also have abused TPS egregiously.
They came over as temporary because of the devastation in their home country. Before anyone goes against POTUS decision, maybe you should do the research and find out how many are on government assistance, homeowners, and are actively working full time with out benefits from the City, County, State, or Federal Government. BEFORE MAKING A JUDGEMENT CALL.
QUIT BEING PART OF THE FLOCK……….THINK FOR YOURSELF
It is too bad that you don’t feel the same way about the veterans that have mental, physical, and homeless problems…..not protests there
> Trump’s latest order on immigration strikes yet another blow to Silicon Valley’s immigrant community.
Maybe if “Silicon Valley’s immigrant community” were nicer to President Trump, he would be more welcoming.
But, they apparently have only had mean and malignant things to say about him.
So, they’ve worn out their welcome. They can go back to El Salvador and hate the El Salvador government.
When they learn to be nice and how to produce wealth and contribute to American prosperity, maybe they can reapply for an entry visa.
Wow! What right-wing group launched this bombardment of comments?
Why does it follow that comments originate from right wing astroturfing instead of critical thinking? The comments are as much about poor writing and analysis by ‘Silicon Valley Newsroom’ as the actual news item. Interesting that the ‘let them stay’ stunningly weak arguments fail upon investigation. One would think they would be strong given the article’s bias.
El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world, human trafficking, gang violence, MS13 , what a wonderful
HELL HOLE . Trump stands vindicated by your own words SVN!
> more than 49,000 TPS recipients from El Salvador live in the Golden State.
Let’s think about this.
The people from El Salvador are citizens of . . . El Salvador.
El Salvador is a wonderful country. It is NOT a “shithole”.
The President of the United States is a racist. The people who voted for the President of the United States are racists. The founders of the country were white male slave owners, who were therefore racists. The founders of the Democratic Party, Jefferson and Jackson, were racists. The Democratic Party is racist. Margaret Sanger was a racist. The winner of the Margaret Sanger Person of the Year Award, Hillary Rodham Clinton is therefore likely a racist. Woodrow Wilson was a racist. Hugo Black was a racist. Robert Byrd was a racist.
The United States of America is pretty much a racist “shithole”.
So, why is anyone trying to prevent our wonderful Salvadorean “temporary” guests from leaving this racist “shithole” and returning to their wonderful homeland?
Actually I have known a family of folks from El Salvador for about 22 years now.
Got there green cards, work permits. Started their own house cleaning business, learned english, became American citizens, raised 3 kids, and put 2 through college. They go back occasionally to visit and help out their relatives. Very dangerous they tell me and are so grateful to live here.
To them an American Passport is one of their most treasured items anyone can have.
Some of the best flag waving Americans I know came from those hell holes but we owe it to them and the rest of the country to screen out those with bad intentions,and looking for a free ride.
I am not anti-immigrant racist as the leftist like to paint conservatives, but illegals that have kick the door in demanding services and rights they don’t deserve have no place here, if have they committed additional crimes they need to be prosecuted just as any other person and then deported back to where ever they came from. Repeat offender get repeat sentences and relative should go to, and take our local politicians with you!