Temporary Protected Status Doesn’t Count as Admission Into U.S.

The granting of temporary protected status doesn’t qualify as an admission into the United States because “admission” and “status” are two separate concepts, the Third Circuit said Wednesday in reversing a lower court’s ruling.

Jose Sanchez and Sonia Gonzalez entered the U.S. without an inspection or admission in the late 1990’s, and later received TPS after a series of earthquakes in their native country of El Salvador. The couple applied to become lawful permanent citizens in 2014, but were denied after Sanchez was declared “statutorily ineligible” because he hadn’t been admitted into the U.S.

The couple argued Sanchez was admitted ...