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Temporary Protected Status was terminated, then reinstated, then terminated, then reinstated… for now. “Almost American” on VOCES – Aug. 26 at 10 pm
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“Almost American”
PREMIERES ON PBS AND PBS.ORG ON MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2024 at 10:00 PM
A Salvadoran-American Family Rooted in D.C. Fights to Stay Together After the Department of Homeland Security Revokes the Temporary Protected Status of El Salvador
In 2018, the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security abruptly terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for those from six countries, comprising almost all TPS holders — foreign nationals from countries beset by civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters who are permitted lawful residence in the United States. The majority of those affected were from El Salvador, a country plagued by violence, the aftermath of a civil war, and a devastating earthquake.
Credit:Zocalo Media
The decision to terminate TPS status, which is reviewed every 18 months, left thousands of American families on the brink of a separation crisis since many TPS holders have lived in the U.S. for decades and now have American-born children. “Almost American” follows the Ayala Flores family, who have lived and worked in the nation’s capital for 20 years, sheltered by the TPS status first granted under the George W. Bush administration in 2001. Like her parents, the family’s oldest daughter, Maria, was born in El Salvador but the younger children, born in the U.S., are American citizens. The termination of TPS status threatens to separate the family.
Reluctantly, the Ayala Flores family joins a class-action lawsuit, Ramos V. Neilsen, to halt the termination of TPS. The suit argues that the administration’s restrictive view of the TPS laws was unconstitutional as it was adopted to further the administration’s anti-immigrant agenda. Through surprisingly frank interviews with elected officials and former State Department and Department of Homeland Security officials, VOCES “Almost American” documents how the incoming administration’s hardline immigration sentiment brought about the termination — against the recommendation of many longtime immigration officials.
The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs but the government appealed the decision and, in September 2020, the verdict was reversed, leaving the termination of TPS status in place. In 2023, the Biden administration reinstated protection for the TPS holders. The Ayala Flores family and hundreds of thousands of others will see their TPS up for review again in 2025, under the next president.
Credit: Ayala Flores Family
“‘Almost American’ puts a human face on the ongoing conversation about the country’s immigration policy. While news coverage is almost exclusively focused on the issues at the border, this film reminds us that others have been legally allowed here for humanitarian reasons and that their lives can be deeply affected by politics and policy changes,” says VOCES Executive Producer Sandie Viquez Pedlow.
VOCES “Almost American” will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.