LUCIEN MARISON LANDAVERDE is feeling glum. Her father left El Salvador to “search for a better life in the United States. He now lives in Virginia with three daughters who were born in the country and works as a cook. Ms Landaverde remained in San Salvador,El Salvador’s capital, putting in long hours at an ice-cream shop to earn $100 a month. Every month her father sends her double that amount.On January 8th he called to say that he would soon return to El Salvador. That morning the United States Department of Homeland Security had announced that it would finish temporary protected status (TPS) for nearly 200000 Salvadoreans who got permission to live and work in the country after a pair of earthquakes struck El Salvador in 2001. Ms Landaverde’s father was among them.
They fill until September 2019 to find another legal way to remain in the United States. Those who do not face deportation. Ms Landaverde has mixed feelings about her father’s return. She would like to see more of him, or but “it’s going to be very difficult,” she says.
The Salvadoreans are not alone. Smaller numbers of Hondurans and Nicaraguans were granted TPS after Hurricane Mitch wreaked havoc in 1998 (see chart). Citizens of all three Central American countries had their status renewed every 18 months for nearly two decades. Donald Trump, who promised to regain tough...
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Source: economist.com