US govt extends protected status of nearly 7,000 Syrians in country by 18 months

The United States government on Friday extended the temporary protected status (TPS) of thousands of Syrians living in the country. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary David Pekoske announced that the residency status of 6,700 Syrians living in the United States would be extended by 18 months. The temporary protected status of Syrians was set to expire on March 31 this year. 

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Syria was designated temporary protected status because of the ongoing armed conflict in the country, which has affected millions of lives since the beginning of the war in 2011. A country's TPS designation can be extended by 6, 12, or 18 months. Syria was designated TPS in 2012 by former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and was subsequently extended and renewed in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. The DHS will take the next decision on whether to extend or terminate the TPS in July 2022.  

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"The Syrian civil war continues to demonstrate deliberate targeting of civilians, the use of chemical weapons and irregular warfare tactics, and use of child soldiers. The war has also caused the sustained need for humanitarian assistance, an increase in refugees and displaced people, food insecurity, limited access to water and medical care, and large-scale destruction of Syria’s infrastructure. These conditions prevent Syrian nationals from safely returning," DHS said in a press release. 

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Syria conflict

The war in Syria is currently being fought between forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and several rebel Sunni groups. Assad's Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is being backed by international allies, including Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the United States, which had deployed its Army in the region to fight the Islamic State, has on several occasions carried out airstrikes against pro-Syrian government forces. Some other countries that are said to have been involved are Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel. 

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(Image Credit: AP)