Dems urge Biden to extend controversial immigrant program; Trump says he'll cut it

Temporary Protected Status is a program established in the 1990s that allows the government to designate countries unsafe for nationals to return to, granting nationals already in the U.S. work permits and protection from deportation if they are here illegally or if their legal status expires.

The Biden administration designated or re-designated a number of countries for TPS, including Venezuela, Haiti, Afghanistan and others, allowing hundreds of thousands of nationals to remain in the U.S. as a result. There are currently 17 countries designated for TPS.

The first Trump administration sought to wind down TPS for a number of countries, but it was caught up in a yearslong court battle launched by left-wing civil rights groups on the matter.

There were widespread reports of Haitian migrants flooding towns in Ohio and elsewhere, which were picked up by former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Trump promised to revoke TPS for Haiti earlier this year. 

With that looming, Democrats have been urging Biden to extend protections under TPS and other programs to blunt the impact of the incoming administration.

"We urge you to act decisively between now and the inauguration of the President-elect to complete the important work of the past four years and protect immigrant families."

So far, however, there's been no movement on TPS by the Biden administration nor any indication that redesignations or extensions are imminent.