"Many of these people have really settled here and the government has allowed this status to continue," Vaughan says. " almost like a backdoor legalization or amnesty program because very few people who've ever gotten temporary protected status have ever had to return home." TPS started in the late 1990s, and since then the US government has usually renewed the program every 18 months on a country-by-country basis. 
"Wengi wa namna hii wamekua wakiishi hapa na serikali imewaruhusu bila kuzingatia kwamba kwamba muda wao umekwisha," Vaughan anasema. " mlango wa nyuma wa kuhalisha watu kutoka mataifa mengine au mpango wa kuwasamehe kwa sababu ni wachache sana kati yao ambao walirejea makwao baada ya kupewa hifadhi ya halali kwa muda."TPS ilianzishwa mwishoni mwa mwaka 1990s, na baada ya hapo serikali ya Marekani imekuwa ikiurejeza mpango huu kila mara baada ya miezi 18 wakizingatia misingi ya nchi baada ya nchi.