Living in TPS Countries Reveals 'Temporary' Program's Weaknesses

By Caroline Espinosa, Monday, February 1, 2010, 2:00 PM EST - posted on NumbersUSA

I have spent two of the last three years living safely and happily in countries that currently have Temporary Protected Status: Nicaragua and El Salvador. And I have visited a third: Honduras. While these countries have their respective problems, continued TPS is by no means necessary.

Roy Beck has mentioned in his blog and has been quoted in the media saying that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a de facto amnesty because the last five countries that have received it before Haiti, still have it.

According to the USCIS website, “The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately.“

Certainly, Haiti is experiencing such conditions, and under this description is deserving of TPS. However, this is an excellent time to reevaluate the program as it is currently employed. I can attest, through personal experience, that at least two of the now six countries that have TPS do not need it.

Nicaragua was first designated for TPS in January 1999 following Hurricane Mitch, and it has been extended until July 2010. Yet, tourism is Nicaragua’s second largest industry, having grown 70 percent in the last seven years – seven years during which it was supposedly unsafe for nationals to return. 60,000 U.S. citizens visit Nicaragua each year; in 2005, it had more tourists than Panama. In 2007, The LA Times described it as a “tropical paradise,â€