FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 6, 2017
CONTACT: media@cwsglobal.org
CWS CONDEMNS REPORTS OF TPS TERMINATIONS FOR CENTRAL AMERICANS AND HAITIANS
The US stands to lose $45.2 billion in GDP and nearly $47 billion in Social Security within 10 years if TPS holders are deported
Urge the Trump administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Haiti for at least 18 months: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/issues/tps/
Washington, DC – Church World Service decries news that the State Department is reporting that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations are no longer needed for Hondurans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans, and Haitians, whose safe return is forestalled by dire humanitarian circumstances. Violence, weak institutions, and a lack of human rights protections in Central America, as well as food, housing, and public health crises in Haiti persist. Should the administration terminate TPS for these countries, it would place more than 300,000 of our neighbors at risk for deportation, separate families, and destabilize regional security, which would inevitably drive further displacement. U.S. communities also depend on the TPS program, as nearly 275,000 U.S. citizen children have a parent with TPS status and the U.S. economy would lose $45.2 billion in GDP and nearly $47 billion in Social Security contributions within 10 years if they were deported.
“TPS holders are members of our communities and congregations whose home countries have been devastated by disaster or instability,” said CWS President and CEO Reverend John L. McCullough. “Rescinding TPS designations for Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Haiti–despite the fact that there have been no significant improvement in the conditions of those countries–would signal that this administration doesn’t take its commitments seriously and is prioritizing anti-immigrant sentiment over an honest assessment of conditions in each country. Deporting TPS holders means deporting the parents of American citizens, separating families, and sending people to danger. We call on the administration to extend TPS designation for these four countries for at least another 18 months.”
We also call on the administration and Congress to support legislation that would ensure stability for TPS recipients who have lived here for many years, would face extreme hardship if deported, or are otherwise eligible for permanent residence. CWS stands ready to support measures to protect the well-being and dignity of Central American and Haitian families.
Please click here to see more information on our actions on this issue.
Since 1946, Church World Service has supported refugees, immigrants and other displaced individuals, in addition to providing sustainable relief and development solutions to communities that wrestle with hunger and poverty. Learn more about our work and join our global homebase for refugee solidarity at GreaterAs1.org.
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