GOP senator expresses strong disapproval of Biden administration's new immigrant deportation shield in a harsh letter.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, in his first letter as a senator, demanded answers from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the extension of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals from various countries.

"Moreno expressed his sincere concerns about the 18-month extensions of Temporary Protected Status ("TPS") for El Salvador, Venezuela, Ukraine, and Sudan in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday. These extensions allow noncitizens to remain in the United States until the Fall of 2026, when the designations were set to expire."

"The outgoing administration made shameful decisions to allow nearly 1 million noncitizens to remain in the US ten days before President Trump's inauguration, despite voters rejecting their open-border policy in the 2024 Presidential Election."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declared on Friday that it is granting an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to El Salvador, Venezuela, Sudan, and Ukraine for 18 months past their current expiration dates.

The TPS program offers protection from deportation and work permits to individuals residing in the U.S. from countries deemed hazardous for their return. DHS has cited various reasons for these designations, including environmental disasters in El Salvador, political and economic crises in Venezuela, political instability in Sudan, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with Russia.

In his letter to Secretary Mayorkas, Moreno expressed his criticism of the government's justification for the action.

"Moreno wrote, "I am deeply disgusted by your attempts to justify these decisions. For instance, your Department claims that the extension of TPS status for 234,000 noncitizens is due to geological and weather events in El Salvador. However, a quick review of the current weather in San Salvador, El Salvador shows that it is 'mostly sunny' and 81 degrees Fahrenheit.""

The TPS program will not accept new applications, and only those currently protected by it will be eligible for an extension. Approximately 600,000 Venezuelans, 232,000 El Salvadorans, 103,000 Ukrainians, and 1,900 Sudanese will be affected. The extensions will run until October 2026 for Venezuela and September 2026 for El Salvador, both of which were originally scheduled to end in the spring of 2025.

The deportation of illegal immigrants from El Salvador and Venezuela could be hindered by the actions of these countries' gangs, particularly MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, respectively.

Mayorkas was requested by Moreno to respond to a set of questions, some of which addressed worries about MS-13.

"How many MS-13 and TdA members are currently known to be in the United States? Additionally, how many noncitizens suspected of being associated with these groups have remained in the country through a TPS designation?"

The government has cited geological and weather events as reasons for the influx of migrants, but the letter requests information about the sourcing and data related to these events, as well as details about the vetting process for these individuals and assurances that they will not commit crimes in the United States.

DHS and the White House did not respond immediately to Planet Chronicle Digital's inquiry.

The Biden administration has expanded the use of TPS, designating or redesignating several countries, including Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Haiti. Currently, there are 17 countries with TPS designation.

Both Trump and Vance have stated their intention to reduce TPS for Haiti once they take office.

Planet Chronicle Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report