What will happen to Salvadorans if the U.S. government rescinds their TPS?
Oscar Cortez
Oscar Cortez   46  originally from El Salvador  is a plumber who has built an American life in the 17 years he has had temporary protected status. The U.S. government will terminate the program for an estimated 200 000 Salvadorans in this country  people with knowledge of the plan said Monday. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)
 Oscar Cortez  feels like  he  has an ordinary American life.  He  carries a Costco card.  He  roots for the Boston Red Sox. And five days a week   he  rises before dawn  pulls on four shirts and two pairs of pants  and ventures into the frigid air to work as a plumber  a good job that pays for his Maryland townhouse and his daughtersâ college fund.
The U.S. government opened the door to this life in 2001 when it granted  Cortez  and about 200 000 other migrants from El Salvador Temporary Protected Status (TPS)  a provisional reprieve from deportation that has allowed them to work legally in the United States for 17 years.
At 15th and L streets NW in Washington   Cortez  saw the news on  his  mobile phone while taking a break from laying copper pipe at the construction site of the new Fannie Mae headquarters.
Many Salvadorans say they will try to stay in the United States illegally â a fate they find more bearable than facing the rampant gang violence in their homeland.  Cortez  said  he  visited  his  parents in 2016 for the first time since  he  left and was shocked to see that the house had six locks on every door to ward off burglars. People  he  knew had left or died. Strangers stared at  him  on the street.
âI felt like a foreigner in my own land â  he  said. âEveryone is looking at  you  like youâre from outer space.â
Both men said they are hoarding their savings in case they lose their jobs along with their protected status.  Cortez  has put off replacing  his  old Mitsubishi Montero  with 150 000 miles and a sputtering engine.
Like many TPS recipients  they say they will try to obtain legal residency.  His  wife is a legal resident  and  Cortez  hopes she will someday be able to sponsor  him . Contreras said he is trying to get a green card through his wife  a U.S. citizen. But there are no guarantees.
 Cortez  nodded. âWeâll lose our jobs â he said. âWeâll lose it all.â
[TGT] is a plumber who has built an American life in the 17 years  [TGT]  has had temporary protected status. The U.S. government will terminate the program for an estimated 200 000 Salvadorans in this country  people with knowledge of the plan said Monday. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)
  [TGT]   feels like   [TGT]   has an ordinary American life.   [TGT]   carries a Costco card.   [TGT]   roots for the Boston Red Sox. And five days a week    [TGT]   rises before dawn  pulls on four shirts and two pairs of pants  and ventures into the frigid air to work as a plumber  a good job that pays for his Maryland townhouse and his daughtersâ college fund.
The U.S. government opened the door to this life in 2001 when it granted  Cortez  and about 200 000 other migrants from El Salvador Temporary Protected Status (TPS)  a provisional reprieve from deportation that has allowed them to work legally in the United States for 17 years.
At 15th and L streets NW in Washington   Cortez  saw the news on  his  mobile phone while taking a break from laying copper pipe at the construction site of the new Fannie Mae headquarters.
Many Salvadorans say they will try to stay in the United States illegally â a fate they find more bearable than facing the rampant gang violence in their homeland.  Cortez  said  he  visited  his  parents in 2016 for the first time since  he  left and was shocked to see that the house had six locks on every door to ward off burglars. People  he  knew had left or died. Strangers stared at  him  on the street.
âI felt like a foreigner in my own land â  he  said. âEveryone is looking at  you  like youâre from outer space.â
Both men said they are hoarding their savings in case they lose their jobs along with their protected status.  Cortez  has put off replacing  his  old Mitsubishi Montero  with 150 000 miles and a sputtering engine.
Like many TPS recipients  they say they will try to obtain legal residency.  His  wife is a legal resident  and  Cortez  hopes she will someday be able to sponsor  him . Contreras said he is trying to get a green card through his wife  a U.S. citizen. But there are no guarantees.
 Cortez  nodded. âWeâll lose our jobs â he said. âWeâll lose it all.â