ILAP Statement on Administration’s Failure to Issue a Decision on Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2026        
CONTACT: press@ilapmaine.org     

Maine – ILAP joins Salvadoran Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, Alianza Americas, and others across the nation in demanding the Trump administration issue a clear statement on the status of TPS for El Salvador.

Under the law, the administration was required to make a decision by July 11, 2026, 60 days in advance of the end of the designation period on September 9, 2026. If a decision is not made in time, the law mandates a 6-month automatic extension of protection. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ webpage currently says that the administration will make a decision “at the appropriate time” and TPS holders “retain protection including work authorization.”

ILAP serves dozens of Salvadoran TPS holders in Maine who are impacted by this non-decision, leaving them and their families in a state of intense fear, anxiety, and limbo. Salvadoran TPS holders have called the United States home for decades and are deeply rooted in Maine.

Given ongoing dangerous country conditions, ILAP calls for an 18-month extension of TPS for El Salvador, the maximum permitted under the law, as well as for Congress to immediately pass the American Dream and Promise Act to provide permanent protection.

Sue Roche, ILAP’s Executive Director said: “The administration continues to make politically-motivated decisions around Temporary Protected Status instead of following the law. Salvadoran TPS holders, their families, and their employers deserve clear information about their status. Beyond that, Congress must create a pathway to permanent protection and citizenship for Salvadoran and other TPS holders now. People should not be forced to live their lives in 18-month increments, especially with the threats of the administration’s indiscriminate mass deportation policies.”