Americans of Ethiopian descent can soon apply for temporary protected status

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will start to protect Ethiopians who are temporarily in the country because of the war in their home country on Monday. This is part of a plan that was announced in October.

When the idea was revealed, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated, “The United States understands the ongoing armed conflict and the extraordinary and temporary conditions engulfing Ethiopia, and DHS is dedicated to providing temporary security to individuals in need.”

People like students, businesspeople, and tourists who are only in the U.S. for a short time are often given TPS, or temporary protected status, if they are worried about going back to their home countries after natural disasters or wars.

As long as the TPS order is in effect, they are permitted to stay in the country even though their visas have expired.

Ethiopians without citizenship or permanent residency are allowed to stay in the US for up to 18 months thanks to Mayorkas’ decree. Depending on the circumstances in the home country, TPS status may be extended.

According to the DHS, persons must show they have lived continuously in the United States since Oct. 20, 2022, and have been physically present continuously in the country since Dec. 12, 2022, in order to qualify for TPS under Ethiopia’s classification. Under this categorization, anyone who enters the country after October 20, 2022, is not eligible for TPS.

About 26,700 Ethiopians living in the US are eligible to apply for TPS, according to DHS.

As determined by the U.S. Census, about 272,000 Americans were born in Ethiopia.

Even though basic services like electricity and telecoms have been restored to significant areas of Ethiopia’s Tigray region as a result of the signing of a cease-fire agreement a month ago, putting an end to hostilities in nearly two years of war, most areas are still cut off from the outside world. The TPS plan is still expected to go into effect.

The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse provided the data for this article.