Biden administration extends protected status for immigrants from Yemen

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The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it is extending temporary protected status (TPS) for nationals from Yemen -- in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.

The Department of Homeland Security announced an 18-month extension and redesignation of Yemen for TPS, from its current expiration in September through to March 2023.

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TPS protects nationals of designated countries living in the U.S. from potential deportation if they are eligible and also allows them to apply for work permits, as well as giving them the freedom to travel. 

A country may be designated for TPS due to conditions like ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions. Yemen has been submerged in a civil war since 2014 between a government backed by a Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. 

The conflict has led to the deaths of 112,000 people and has obliterated the country’s infrastructure. United Nations estimates say 13.5 million Yemenis face food insecurity. In its statement announcing the designation, DHS also pointed to destruction of infrastructure, population displacement and an outbreak of cholera.

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"Yemen continues to experience worsening humanitarian and economic conditions that prevent individuals from safely returning to their homes," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. "Therefore, I have decided to extend and re-designate Yemen for Temporary Protected Status. We will continue to protect and offer these individuals a place of residency temporarily in the United States."

DHS projects that approximately 1,700 beneficiaries will be able to retain TPS as long as they meet eligibility requirements and will allow an additional estimated 480 Yemenis living in the U.S. to obtain TPS. The initial 2015 designation was last extended by the Trump administration last year.

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DHS most recently announced the extension of TPS for residents of Haiti -- which has been under TPS designation since 2010.

The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for pathways to citizenship being mulled by Congress to include those in the country on TPS designations.