With the expiration date of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) approaching, children of Salvadoran beneficiaries traveled to Washington D.C. to request an extension. The mobilization on September 3 brought together activists, lawmakers, and families concerned about the risk over 170,000 individuals face of losing their protection from deportation.
The youths met with senators and representatives from both parties to discuss the effects that the expiration of TPS would have on families with members born in the United States. The Massachusetts TPS Committee also joined the cause, organizing a press conference alongside the TPS Alliance and Congressman Jim McGovern to call for an extension of temporary protected status.
Moreover, activists participated in a roundtable with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and held meetings with Senate and House members, advocating for an end to the detention and deportation of TPS beneficiaries. They also called for the creation of a pathway to permanent residency for their families, promoting legislative alternatives like the American Promise Act and consulting with immigration attorneys about potential options to adjust their immigration status.
Congresswoman Luz Rivas emphasized that without an extension of TPS before the expiration, beneficiaries could face the difficult decision of leaving the country where they have built their lives alongside their families and developed their work activities. Rivas, along with other lawmakers like McGovern and Joaquín Castro, urged the White House to extend the designation for El Salvador “immediately.”
Evelyn Hernández, one of the young participants and daughter of TPS beneficiaries, expressed through a video: “We have come to Washington D.C. to ask senators and representatives to support TPS.” Hernández requested an extension of the program and support for initiatives such as the Secure Act and the Dream and Promise Act, which aim to open pathways for different groups of immigrants. “We will not remain silent,” she asserted.
The TPS for Salvadorans was established following the earthquakes in 2001 in El Salvador. Without a new extension or measure to change the situation before September 9, beneficiaries will need to consult with a legal advisor about available options for accessing other immigration protection.
Source: www.infobae.com
