The 300,000 Honduran, Nicaraguan, Haitian, and Salvadoran TPS recipients are hardworking individuals here in the United States legally who pay taxes and contribute to our communities and economy—many of whom are construction supervisors and home health care professionals who aren’t easily replaced. Currently, many in the construction industry are helping the recovery efforts in Florida and Houston following the hurricanes. They are parents to nearly 275,000 U.S. citizen children and there is no plan to address the break up of these families.

This is one reason the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes revoking TPS right now. The near simultaneous layoffs of 250,000 TPS recipients currently employed—working an average 40-45 hours per week—will cost employers nearly $1 billion in immediate turnover costs. It will cost the U.S. an estimated $164 billion in Gross Domestic Product. And, given that 30% of TPS recipients are homeowners, it will destabilize U.S. housing markets when 60,000 mortgages are dumped at the same time.

The termination of TPS will further destabilize fragile countries in our neighborhood. With remittances making up more than 15% of the GDP of TPS-designated countries, the sudden loss will put an added strain on the U.S. foreign aid budget while families who have long-relied on this money will have no other option than to attempt to come to the U.S.as undocumented workers.

In Haiti, forcing the return of 50,000 people would disrupt the fragile recovery, exacerbate the food, housing, and public health crises, and potentially destabilize the new government. In El Salvador and Honduras, the return of over 250,000 people would strain government services and lead to job displacement in countries besieged by violence, narcotics trafficking and weak institutions.

TPS holders living in the United States pass a background check at least every 18 months. For example, Hondurans with TPS status have been vetted 13 times.