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60 Days to Leave.. Washington Cancels Temporary Protection for Syrians
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristjen Neumann, announced a government decision to revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Syrian nationals residing in the United States. Under this decision, Syrians covered by the program will be required to voluntarily leave the country and return to Syria within a maximum of 60 days.
In a press statement, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Tricia McLellan, explained that this move is part of a review of the immigration system, confirming that the current conditions in Syria no longer justify the continued presence of its nationals in the United States, after more than a decade of conflict and extremism in the country.
She added that allowing Syrians to remain in the U.S. after the revocation of TPS contradicts national interests, noting that the program was originally established as a temporary measure to address the unsafe conditions in Syria. She emphasized that registered Syrian migrants have 60 days for voluntary departure, and that the return procedures will include safe methods, such as free flight tickets and a financial reward of $1,000, in addition to future legal immigration opportunities to the United States.
Furthermore, she pointed out that any Syrian registered in the program who has not begun the voluntary deportation procedures by the end of the deadline will be detained and deported, with a ban on re-entry to U.S. territory.
It is worth noting that the TPS status, first granted to Syria in 2012 and renewed multiple times, allowed thousands of Syrians to live and work legally in the U.S. during that period, to protect them from unsafe conditions in their homeland caused by conflicts and natural disasters.
