U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has temporarily extended protections for about 170,000 Salvadorans under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beyond the September 9 expiry, creating a delay in deportation decisions.

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The Mullin decision is framed as a strategic political move in a highly charged immigration policy environment, part of a broader pattern of fluctuating TPS protections across administrations.

By extending TPS, the move aims to blunt a potential midterm Democratic rallying cry and avoids an immediate impact on El Salvador’s government, which is described as aligned with President Trump’s supporters.

Historically, the U.S. has stripped TPS protections from more than 1 million immigrants from 13 countries under the second Trump administration, often with inconsistent adherence to Congressional conditions for TPS eligibility.

TPS grants temporary permission to live and work in the U.S. for designated countries when returning home isn’t feasible due to conflict or disasters; DHS decides and can announce extensions or terminations on varying timelines.