Advancing Justice Condemns Termination of TPS for Nearly 200,000 Salvadorans
New Year Continues with More Anti-Immigration Moves from The White House
Washington, DC — January 8, 2018 — The Trump administration announced its decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Salvadorans in eighteen months.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five Asian American civil rights organizations, released the following statement:
“The decision to terminate the TPS designation for nearly 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants who have lived in America for decades is another gross misuse of power from this administration. Ending temporary status and work authorization for Salvadorans turns more than 190,000 U.S. residents into undocumented immigrants and has the potential to upend the lives of their American-born children.
From Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to the termination of TPS for millions of immigrants, these type of attacks on our immigrant communities are unnecessary and will only result in economic hardship and family separation. We call on Congress to put an end to these TPS terminations and to provide a permanent solution for these families and all other recipients of TPS past and present, including people from Haiti, Nepal, Syria, Yemen, Honduras, Nicaragua, Sudan, South Sudan, and now, El Salvador.
These individuals with TPS have fled life-threatening and devastating conditions in their native countries to build a life here in the U.S. where they work, pay taxes, and contribute within their communities. It is unconscionable that these people and their U.S. citizen children face the decision to either be separated as a family or be forced to relocate to a country they no longer know.
Congress has the power to act and needs to step up to do the right thing to stop the TPS terminations and prevent families from being torn apart. We will continue to fight for our communities to ensure that immigrants and refugees are treated with dignity and respect.”
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation’s members are: Advancing Justice | AAJC (Washington, DC), Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, Advancing Justice – Atlanta, and Advancing Justice – Chicago.