- A federal judge issued an order to block work authorization cuts for several T-P-S beneficiaries.
- The temporary injunction protects Salvadoran, Sudanese, and Ukrainian workers from losing their employment permits immediately.
- The ruling helps maintain stability for over one hundred fifty thousand U.S. citizen children in mixed-status households.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the government from ending work authorization for some Salvadoran TPS holders, preserving their paychecks while the court reviews the policy change.
Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton issued the order on July 21, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The case is Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, et al. v. USCIS, et al.
The TPS EAD Ruling covers certain beneficiaries from El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine. It does not end Salvadoran TPS or create a permanent extension of the program.
That pause protects household income. More than 150,000 U.S. citizen children have at least one Salvadoran parent with TPS, according to advocacy and congressional estimates.
The immediate threat was July 22. The administration had planned to cut affected workers’ authorization on that date, but the judge’s order stopped the change.
The order delays work-permit losses, not the TPS deadline
The injunction lets covered parents continue working while the court considers whether the policy change is lawful. Families can therefore avoid an immediate interruption in wages.
The protection is temporary. It also reduces the risk of sudden job loss, lower pay, or employer reverification problems while the order remains in place.
The children’s citizenship does not change. They remain U.S. citizens, even if a parent later loses TPS or work authorization.
The court expected to decide by August 5, 2026, whether to maintain a longer pause. That decision could determine how long the temporary work authorization protection continues.
Salvadoran families still face a September deadline
El Salvador’s current TPS designation expires on September 9, 2026. The injunction does not move that date.
If the Department of Homeland Security does not extend the designation, Salvadoran TPS holders could still lose protection when the program expires. That change would again put jobs and income at risk for mixed-status households.
The ruling therefore gives families additional time, but not a final resolution. The court is reviewing the work-authorization policy, while the TPS designation follows its separate expiration schedule.
The distinction affects everyday finances. Parents’ wages help pay for housing, food, transportation, and other household needs, and a sudden employment interruption could reach children who depend on that income.
The order also applies beyond Salvadoran families. Its temporary protection covers certain TPS holders from Sudan and Ukraine, whose work authorization faced the same planned policy change.
The next major date is the court’s review of the pause. After that, DHS action on El Salvador’s designation will determine whether the family-level protection continues beyond the current program deadline.
