Obama Extends Somali ‘Protected Status’ Before Exit
by BOB PRICE
17 Jan 2017
Washington, D.C
In the final week of the Obama Administration, the outgoing Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals and others for an additional 18 months. The program was not scheduled to expire until March 2017.
Somali nationals, and “eligible individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Somalia,” now have an additional 18 months added to their “temporary” status that has been in place since 1991. The program was extended by President George W. Bush in 2001 and by President Obama in 2012. When a “temporary” status lasts 25 years, it’s not temporary at all, Center for Immigration Studies Director of Policy Studies Jessica Vaughn told Breitbart Texas on Tuesday. “This example is an illustration of why the Trump administration and Congress need to try a different approach.”
The new extension, announced on January 17 in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas, does not begin until March 18, 2017. It is not clear why DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson is taking this action in the final five days of his administration instead of leaving it for the new DHS secretary to handle. In addition to extending the TPS benefit to these foreign nationals, the extension also allows the “beneficiaries” to re-register for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Because the current EADs might expire prior to the approval of the renewal, Secretary Johnson took the liberty of extending the validity of the current Somalia EADs for an additional six months.
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...d-status-exit/