Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez ripped President Donald Trump's move to end the protected status for about 200,000 immigrants from El Salvador, The Hill reported.
He called Trump's decision "cruel and heartless." His comments came Monday after Trump decided to end the Temporary Protect Status for the immigrants. The move will force them to try to obtain a new legal status or leave the U.S. by September 2019, according to the website.
The Washington Post noted the Salvadorans were granted protected status after earthquakes hit their nation in 2001. Their permits had been renewed every 18-months, according to the newspaper.
"This is a cruel and heartless decision by a cruel and heartless president," Perez said. "By targeting those who were driven from their homes by environmental catastrophe and violence in El Salvador, Donald Trump is tearing more working families apart — putting their lives at risk, threatening our economy, and turning his back on the values that have made America great.
"America is great when we respond to humanitarian crises by helping those in need, not banishing them from our borders."
He reiterated his comments on Twitter.
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