10/07/2026
An Iowan daughter recently wrote about how the end of El Salvador's TPS is affecting her family.
Whether your family has been here for generations or just arrived, every family in Iowa deserves to feel safe. Iowa MMJ calls on Congress to pass permanent legal protections for TPS holders NOW!
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"As the daughter of someone with TPS, this has been incredibly painful to process.
I desperately wish my parents had a path forward. If there were a clear way for them to adjust their status and have the security of knowing they could remain here permanently, we would pursue it. But for families like mine, that path doesn't always exist. We have lived for years with the reality that my parents can do everything expected of them—work, pay taxes, support their family, contribute to their community, follow the requirements of their status—and still have no clear way to achieve permanent stability.
How do you prepare to uproot the life you have spent decades building? How do you save enough money to potentially start your entire life over while also paying your bills, supporting your family, and simply trying to survive? For many years, returning wasn't a realistic option because the conditions that led to TPS protections continued.
People have put down roots. Their children have grown up. Their families, jobs, homes, and communities are here. As their daughter, I wish more than anything that I could give my parents the certainty they deserve. Instead, I have to live with the fear of what could happen to them and to our family because there is no meaningful path forward available to us.
My parents are more than an immigration status. They are people who have worked incredibly hard to build a life and give their family opportunities. They are loved, needed, and deeply rooted in their community. I hope we remember that families like mine are on the other side of these decisions, wondering what happens to the people we love and the lives we have spent years building together."
