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‘Facing tough situations’: Omaha man on Temporary Protected Status battles what the future holds for him in America
OMAHA, Neb. —
Immigrants on Temporary Protected Status say they are concerned about their futures here in America.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration can end TPS for Haiti and Syria.
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Immigration experts said other countries could be next.
KETV NewsWatch 7 talked with an Omaha man on TPS who may face a similar fate.
According to a 2018 Inter-American Dialogue study (an independent policy group), 88 percent of Salvadorans on TPS contribute to the labor force compared to 63 percent of Americans.
The man we spoke to falls into this number and came to the U.S. when he was six.
Victor Francia starts his morning with a cup of coffee at 5 in the afternoon before he heads to his job.
“I work in a food manufacturing facility at the moment, and I work seven days a week, overnights,” Francia said.
When he gets off work at 7 a.m., he connects with his faith by going to church at 9 a.m.
“God will protect you from harm,” Francia said. “When you’re facing tough situations.”
Francia is one of over 170,000 El Salvadorans on TPS in America, according to a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services report to the Congressional Research Service.
“We’re not able to vote. We’re not able to join the military,” Francia said. “Even though we pay taxes, we’re not able to qualify for any federal assistance almost.”
Omaha immigration attorney Brian Blackford said right now, Francia and countless others on TPS are faced with a harsh reality.
“The Trump administration is systematically ending those [TPS] from nearly every country that once had it,” Blackford said.
Francia’s country is still under the program, but it will expire in September.
“Unlike the other countries on TPS, the president of El Salvador actually has a good relationship with the Trump administration,” Ariel Magaña Linares, Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement’s senior attorney, said.
Magaña Linares said the administration could extend TPS for El Salvador. In recent years, the country was designated one of the safest Latin American countries.
“[But] even the Salvadoran government recognizes there’s a lot of work to do on the economic and infrastructure front,” Magaña Linares said.
Francia does not believe his status is in the clear.
“It’s really uncertain,” Francia said. “I only have like a month of time to try to figure out what am I going to do over there.”
In a statement to KETV, the Department of Homeland Security said, “Temporary Protected Status is exactly that—temporary. For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty [a program that protects criminals] program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent.”
Blackford disagrees, saying, “These are not the worst, the worst. And they can’t be by definition to have TPS.”
“I don’t have any crime on my record,” Francia said. “I’ve known people that have gotten deported after having a crime on the record.”
Magaña Linares points to COVID as an example of TPS workers’ grit and important contribution to American society.
“People were talking about folks that were on TPS; they often referred to them as essential workers,” Magaña Linares said.
The CIRA attorney said the TPS program was created in 1990, under the Bush administration, as a way to protect immigrants from ongoing conflicts in their home country or natural disasters—Like Francia and his family, who came to the U.S. after hurricanes washed through El Salvador.
“Everything had been destroyed that we had,” Francia said. “A guy had me on his shoulders [trying to cross a river when Francia was six], and then he slipped, and I was falling. So, I just grabbed onto his hair, and if I were to fall, I wouldn’t be here today.”
He’s been in the U.S. for 28 years. The first three years were on humanitarian parole, and the remaining 25 years were under TPS.
“They take pictures of us,” Francia said. “We put our all, our, they got all our fingerprints, all of our information. They give us a Social Security card.”
Lawyers told Francia his options are marriage or a petition through one of his siblings.
“It can take 20 to 25 years to have a waiting period,” Francia said. “And it doesn’t give me any legal status to wait here.”
If he waited that long, he would reach his 50s. Francia said marriage is off the table, saying since he doesn’t already have a partner, “It just wouldn’t feel right for me.”
He said he doesn’t consider El Salvador his home, but if his status ends, leaving his family would be the most difficult part.
“This might be some of my last moments here with them because I don’t know if I have an opportunity to come back,” Francia said.
Lawmakers in Washington D.C. are bringing the Dream and Promise Act of 2025 back into the conversation as a potential pathway to citizenship for those on TPS.
Also, 81 U.S. Congressional members signed a letter in July urging DHS to extend TPS for Salvadorans.
DHS told KETV in a statement, “What we would say now is its closing time which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. The good news is it’s not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home.”
Congressman Don Bacon issued a response to these concerns:
“Our office has been in contact with Mr. Francia and connected him with available resources that may assist him. I support extending TPS for Salvadorans while Congress works toward a lasting legal solution for long-term TPS holders. Many have lived in the United States for decades, built families, worked and contributed to communities throughout Nebraska and across the country. Most Americans want people who are working and being good neighbors to remain in the United States, and the commonsense approach is to give eligible long-term TPS holders a fair opportunity to pursue permanent legal status.”
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