HOUSTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Monday urged the White House to reconsider its decision to end a temporary protection program for the people from El Salvador.

The U.S. administration will end the temporary protected status that has allowed nearly 200,000 people from El Salvador to stay legally in the United States for nearly 17 years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday.

"The program was designed to protect people who are vulnerable because of the dangers they face in their homeland. I urge the Trump administration to reconsider its decision and if it does not, I urge Congress to reverse it," Turner said.

He added "Houston is a welcoming city for people from all over the world. The White House decision to end the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) program for people from El Salvador who live in the U.S. goes against our long-cherished values as a welcoming city to everyone who comes here to work hard and contribute to Houston's vibrant economy."

According to the mayor, there are over 80,000 people from El Salvador who live in Houston, and 19,000 of them will be directly affected by the end of TPS. "Many of them own businesses and work in our service industries. They contribute 1.8 billion U.S. dollars to the Texas GDP."

Turner also mentioned that there are more than 20,000 Houston children who were born in the United States have parents from El Salvador in the United States under TPS. When TPS ends, these families could be torn apart.