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Salvadoreans gather in East Boston to discuss TPS

EAST BOSTON, Mass. — Hundreds of native Salvadoreans gathered in East Boston to discuss the sudden changes to their "Temporary Protective Status".

Earlier this month, the Trump administration terminated the "Temporary Protective Status," or TPS, designation for El Salvador.

TPS was established by Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990 and was intended to protect foreign nationals in the U.S. from being sent back to their home countries if that meant it would put them at risk fo violence, disease, or death.

As of now, Salvadorans have until September 2019 to obtain permanent residence in the U.S. or return to El Salvador.

During the assembly of the Massachusetts TPS committee, organizers said they will work during the next 18 months to find a path to legal, permanent residency. They say, for many, going back is not an option.

"The crime is so high and all these families run the risk to suffer (with) the poverty and the crime. Those are two factors that affect everyone," said Julio Perez, a member of the Massachusetts TPS Committee.

In Massachusetts alone, this affects some 5,000 native Salvadorans and nearly 200,000 nationwide.