Since the fall of 2016, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began to announce the ending Temporary Protection Status dates for several countries such as Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador as of the beginning of 2018. Up until this point, the TPS has allowed immigrants to work legally in the United States. Gradually, it was expanded to countries which had experienced disasters that were either natural or from war-like violence.  The full deportation will take place in the fall of this year – starting with Sudan. In total, 435,000 people will be forced to leave the U.S.

Most families will be going back to countries that now hold high crime rates. El Salvador, since 2001, when their TPS was available, has experienced rising numbers of daily homicide. After hearing about El Salvador’s conditions, America Molina, 12,  expresses her opinion on TPS removal.

“It’s definitely frustrating to see families succeeding in the U.S. to then seeing many of them having to be deported back to their countries,” Molina said. “In a way, I see it to be unfair that the U.S. government just expects these families to adapt back to their original country after many years away. Some people will have to be going back to countries that are unrecognizable.”

In the course of ending TPS, people have reacted similar to Molina since they view the ending of TPS to be unfit. Due to this, several marches and petitions have taken place in hope of TPS extension. On Dec. 8, 2017, a hundred protesters alongside two members of Congress were arrested for protesting against TPS and DACA removal.

Since nearly half a million people will soon be forced to leave the U.S., cities and individuals will be impacted in their own way. Kayla Solis, 12, comments on how life may be like once TPS is removed.

“I feel like more jobs will be more available, but it is just one step closer to getting to our president’s goal. I think that it is wrong to see families being stripped apart, but people perceive things differently,” Solis said. “It is again of an example of when politics goes against morality. I feel like America is losing sight of its original purpose – to grant opportunities to minorities.”

Solis’s comment does cover that fact that their will be more jobs available for other people, but it has been estimated that by taking action in TPS removal, the U.S. will lose $164 billion in the next ten years. The economic growth in American may slow down or stop all together.

In response of the backlash that the ending of the TPS is receiving, Karina Dominguez, 12,  states her ideas of alternatives to TPS removal.

“Instead of sending people back to their country, President Trump can instead help those who rely on TPS to create the work permit permanent,”Dominguez said. “This way, the U.S. can improve its economy without having to lose money in efforts of trying to deport people.”

Like Dominguez, Americans have been protesting for solution, and have been signing petitions to enforce these solutions. The removal of TPS will begin soon and it is unsure of where the U.S. will go afterwards. Even though a majority of Americans disagree on it, most are trying to take on an efficient track which is finding solutions. Therefore, the immigrant and youth allies have teamed up to fight for DACA and TPS protection.

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