(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) A January 2025 briefing memo released Thursday by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., revealed that during his final month in office then-President Joe Biden plotted to deliver de-facto amnesty to some 3.1 million illegal immigrants — including gang members — by granting them “temporary protected status.”
The memo, which appears to be misdated, is from Biden's "Senior Advisors" in the waning days of his lame duck presidency.
It was the pitch to expand TPS “before YOU leave office.” His team was searching for ways to lock in his mass-migration regime before Trump took power.
— Senator Eric Schmitt (@SenEricSchmitt) July 23, 2026
“This memo provides background information on Temporary Protected Status (TPS), including actions taken by YOUR Administration, actions taken by the previous Administration, and certain requests from Members of Congress and other leaders to expand TPS before YOU leave office,” said the internal memo, which was misdated as 2024.
The designation — adding countries like Ecuador and Guatemala to existing TPS designees including Venezuela, El Salvador, Sudan and Haiti — would have derailed the incoming Trump administration’s deportation plans for up to 18 months, including efforts to remove violent members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Schmitt said his release of the recent memo was part of an ongoing investigation into TPS abuse.
“Biden tried to destroy this country,” he said. “Thank God President Trump won.”
I released this memo on Thursday as part of my investigation into TPS.
Biden tried to destroy this country. Thank God President Trump won. https://t.co/8RI21c504l
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) July 25, 2026
Ultimately, the Biden administration extended TPS redesignation to some 900,000 illegals but stopped short of its scheme to designate new ones.
Despite facing pressure from open-border activist groups and congressional Democrats to enact a mass amnesty program, “administration officials have been wary of issuing an early redesignation for Nicaragua and appearing as if they were making a political move to handcuff Trump’s team,” Politico reported at the time.
Ultimately, President Donald Trump’s campaign promises of mass deportation have fallen well short of the 10 million he vowed to remove.
Figures released in January by the Department of Homeland Security indicated that it had executed some 675,000 deportations while another 2.2 million illegals have self-deported since Trump returned to office.
By contrast, the Biden administration admitted an estimated 15 million illegals under the watch of former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
I gotchu pic.twitter.com/1oX30ATb8E
— Kian (@kianmckenn) April 23, 2026
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
