Catholic immigration advocates are hailing the extension of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to war-torn Yemen, where more than 23 million face what the United Nations has called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
In a Jan. 3 Federal Register notice, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of Yemen effective March 4 through Sept. 3, 2024.
Current Yemeni TPS beneficiaries can retain their status, so long as they maintain their eligibility requirements. Yemeni nationals who arrived in the U.S. from Yemen before Dec. 29, 2022, and who have continuously resided in the U.S. since may apply for TPS for the first time, along with stateless individuals who last resided regularly in Yemen.
DHS also extended through Sept. 3, 2024, its Special Student Relief program for Yemeni students living in the U.S and facing continued economic hardship due to the Yemen crisis.
Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., or CLINIC, said she and her staff were “heartened by this news, which will provide real relief for many.”
Created by Congress in 1990, the TPS program allows participants to remain in the U.S. without risk of DHS detention, obtain employment authorization and travel authorization. Eligible countries are those with conditions — such as conflict and environmental disasters — that prevent the safe return of nationals.
Since 2014, Yemen has been ravaged by civil conflict between its internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebels supported by Iran. A six-month ceasefire brokered by the U.N. in 2022 was not renewed, permitting conditions for the crisis to continue.
Currently, close to 6 million Yemenis have been displaced, with more than 23.4 million in what the U.N. calls “dire need” of humanitarian assistance, with hunger, disease, famine and direct attacks on civilians rampant.
“The conflict in Yemen continues,” said Gallagher. “This decision duly recognizes the needs of Yemenis in the U.S. who cannot return home.”
Gina Christian is a National Reporter for OSV News.
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