The Los Angeles City Council Friday directed staff to take additional steps to assist Temporary Protected Status communities in the event that the federal government suspends protections for Salvadoran nationals in the United States.
In a 10-0 vote, the City Council approved a report from the Community Investment Department detailing how the city has responded to concerns around the issue of TPS. The report also included recommendations for the city to provide more support for affected communities such as expanding housing and emergency assistance, expand removal defense services through RepresentLA, and establishing a coordinated TPS referral process, among other things.
The City Council approved an amendment asking the department to provide options for strengthening worker protections and employment protections for individuals experiencing delays in their extensions for renewals in TPS, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival, or other similar designations.
There was no discussion on the matter.
TPS provides essential work authorization and protection from deportation for individuals residing in the United States who cannot return safely to their home countries. TPS serves as a vital program allowing immigrants to remain and work legally during unsafe conditions abroad, according to a report from the Community Investment Department.
Previously, the program covered 17 nations, but most designations have since been terminated or allowed to expire by the federal administration. To date, TPS remains active for only four countries, all with upcoming expiration dates.
The most imminent is El Salvador, whose TPS designation was set to expire on Sept. 9, 2026. At this time, the TPS designation remains valid for Salvadoran TPS holders.
The Department of Homeland Security has not published an official termination or extension decision, leaving Salvadoran TPS holders in limbo. Urkaine and Sudan’s designation was set to expire on Oct. 17, and Lebanon’s on Nov. 27.
Many TPS holders are long-term U.S. residents, including approximately 49,000 Salvadoran TPS holders living in the L.A. region.
In August, City Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Monica Rodriguez called on relevant departments to conduct an analysis of the economic impacts if TPS protections were to be terminated for Salvadorans. They also requested for a review of resources available to TPS communities, and how to bolster their response in the case TPS designations were terminated.
CID’s report found that TPS holders work in critical industries that experience persistent labor shortages and contribute approximately $29 billion to $35.6 billion annually to the U.S. economy, while generating an estimated $5.4 billion in combined federal, payroll, state and local taxes. In California, TPS holders contribute approximately $1.1 billion annually to the state’s economy through industries including construction, manufacturing, retail, transportation, warehousing and accommodation and food services.
Soto-Martinez previously said the motion was about protecting Angelenos who are being left in legal limbo by the Trump administration. He said the federal government has stripped away legal protections for immigrants from country after country, such as Haiti, Sudan, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Honduras.
“They’re unsure if they’ll be able to keep living here, working here, paying their taxes here, and supporting their families here. While we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen next, that’s exactly why we are doing this report and doing this work is super important,” Soto-Martinez said.
“As a city, we need to ask ourselves how we can use our departments and resources to support this very predictable situation that may be coming,” the councilman added.
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez noted that the city is home to a large population of Salvadoran communities. She added that it’s important to provide TPS groups with the right information and connect them with reputable organizations. The councilwoman said she doesn’t want to see people making “hasty decisions such as quitting their jobs.”
On Sept. 9, the Trump administration declined to end TPS for thousands of Salvadoran immigrants, meaning they can still legally work and live in the United States for now.
“An announcement on El Salvador’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
El Salvador is being led by Nayib Bukele, an ally to President Donald Trump, who last year agreed to accept and hold U.S. deportees in exchange for millions of dollars from the Trump administration.
TPS is a program that allows immigrants from countries with armed conflict and natural disasters to work in the United States. It was expected to expire for people from El Salvador, which could leave an estimated 170,000 immigrants and their 150,000 children in limbo nationwide.
The program for Salvadorans typically has been renewed every 18 months. But after the Department of Homeland Security terminated TPS for about 300,000 Haitians in July, many Salvadorans are preparing for the possibility of having to leave the country.