FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088
STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador:
BROLL from press conference with Senator Catherine Cortes Masto is available here
“We’ve got an emergency for our union family. Culinary Union members who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from El Salvador have been working, paying taxes, raising families, and powering this economy - and they are being cruelly pushed into the shadows and an undocumented status by the Trump administration.
A year ago there were around 1.3 million TPS holders in the U.S. So far, the Trump administration has terminated the legal status for 1 million workers from 13 countries and almost 6,000 TPS holders in Nevada from El Salvador are facing a September 9th deadline.
Overnight, workers who had legal status, jobs, and deep roots in their communities are being told they don’t belong. That’s devastating for working families and it’s harmful for our local economy.
Culinary Union represents many TPS holders, many who have lived and worked in Las Vegas for decades. They have homes, many have U.S. citizen children, and these workers are critical to our hospitality industry in Las Vegas. This misguided policy from the Trump White House is hurting real people and weakening our economy.
We need action now for our TPS sisters and brothers, for DREAMers, and for all the immigrants who are vital members of our churches, schools, and neighborhoods. They need status, deserve stability, and we’re going to organize, knock on doors, and vote to make sure workers get it.”
BACKGROUND:
Nevada is home to close to 6,000 TPS recipients, immigrants from countries to which they cannot safely return. Since 2001, TPS has been a lifeline for over 170,000 Salvadorans living in the U.S., but the TPS designation for El Salvador will expire on September 9th if the Trump Administration doesn’t immediately act to extend it. The end of TPS for Salvadorans would tear apart families and significantly disrupt the hospitality and construction industries in Southern Nevada.
The Trump administration has ended TPS designations for 13 countries: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. This has impacted more than 1 million recipients.
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ABOUT CULINARY UNION:
Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America.
The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 120,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members, and their dependents.
The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.
The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 60% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latino/a, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples.
Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry, and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 90 years.
CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226
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