US And Salvador Sign Agreement To Extends Temporary Protected Status Of Salvadorians By A Year

The U.S. government has extended temporary protection for Salvadorans living in the United States by an additional year, the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Ronald Johnson, said on Monday, in a potential sign of easing tensions over migration.

US Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson said in a statement on Monday that he and Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele have signed an agreement to extend the temporary protected status (TPS) of Salvadorians in the United States by one more year

"Today in Washington, we signed an agreement which extends the TPS (temporary protected status) for the Salvadorans in the United States for another year," Johnson said in a joint video statement with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

"We are very happy to announce that today in Washington, DC we signed an agreement that extends the TPS for Salvadorians that are in the United States by one more year," Johnson said.

TPS was granted to citizens of the Central American country following two devastating 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador that left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump has shown considerable skepticism toward the protection scheme and has moved to revoke the special status afforded to thousands of immigrants from a number of countries including El Salvador.

Bukele said the United States and El Salvador will continue to work together to address the situation regarding migrants. The TPS for Salvadorians in the United States was set to expire January 2, 2020.

El Salvador, along with Guatemala and Honduras, are the homelands of the bulk of migrants caught trying to cross into the United States illegally via Mexico. Bukele on Sep. 26 said the United States should promote legal migration as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration, and called on Trump to continue TPS.