A Los Angeles City Council committee Friday advanced a motion to provide resources to Temporary Protected Status communities amid uncertainty the federal government will allow a lapse in protections for Salvadoran nationals in the U.S.
The three-member Civil Rights, Immigration, Social Services and Neighborhoods Committee voted 2-0 in favor of a motion introduced by City Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Monica Rodriguez on Aug. 21
Council members Nithya Raman and Ysabel Jurado approved the matter, while the third member, Soto-Martinez, was absent during Friday’s meeting. The matter will go before the full City Council at a future meeting.
The motion calls for additional investment in or utilization of the city’s RepresentLA, a legal defense program for immigrants, as well as rental assistance or other financial aid, outreach and education and specific supports for vulnerable communities with the TPS population.
It also calls for an analysis of the potential economic impacts of these TPS terminations, including industries likely to be affected and the impacts to those industries.
“The Trump Administration’s deliberate indecisiveness on Temporary Protected Status is leaving hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans trapped in a state of limbo,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
“Los Angeles is home to the largest Salvadoran community outside of El Salvador, and I refuse to passively watch as the federal government cruelly sows fear and chaos in our communities. Los Angeles must continue to be the tip of the spear in protecting Angelenos from the Trump administration’s continued attacks,” Rodriguez added.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration declined to end TPS for thousands of Salvadoran immigrants, meaning they can still legally work and live in the U.S. 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 Turmp, 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 come and work in the United States. TPS was expected to expire for people from El Salvador Wednesday, leaving as many as 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 U.S.
On Thursday night, Bass issued a statement thanking Soto-Martinez and Rodriguez for their “forward-thinking motion.”
“For generations, Salvadoran Angelenos have built their homes, raised their families, and fundamentally shaped the fabric of our city. They are not merely guests in Los Angeles; they are Los Angeles,” Bass said in her statement.
“With thousands now facing the uncertainty of losing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and work authorizations, we must deploy a swift, unified city response. My administration will continue working with the City Council, city departments and community partners to support Salvadoran Angelenos and other TPS holders. Together, we are creating a robust safety net to protect our families.
Los Angeles will never turn its back on our neighbors. We stand in fierce, unwavering solidarity with the Salvadoran community, and we will do everything in our power to secure their future in the city they call home,” Bass statement concluded.
City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who is challenging Bass in the Nov. 3 election, also criticized the Trump administration for “deliberately creating confusion and fear for people from El Salvador who rely on TPS to work legally and put food on the table.”
“The Trump administration said their TPS would expire, then they paused the decision. We deserve clarity,” Raman said in her statement. “L.A. is home to the one of the largest Salvadoran communities in the US. Our communities deserve stability, not confusion over losing their TPS in the coming days or weeks.”
Raman further stated the impact of this decision could put families at risk of separation, and endanger communities living under the threat of deportation, as well as impact the local economy.
“One third of Angelenos are immigrants, including me. I co-authored Los Angeles’ Sanctuary City Ordinance because immigrant communities are fundamental to this city — and every Angeleno should feel safe turning to their local government,” Raman said in her statement. “To our immigrant communities: we belong here, and I will keep fighting for all of us.”