Statement Condemning the Further Dismantling of TPS
Statement Condemning the Further Dismantling of TPS
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice condemns the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 200,000 hard working Americans who are originally from El Salvador.
In Massachusetts, we have over 12,000 TPS recipients who are raising more than 6,000 U.S. Citizen children. Eliminating TPS will cost the Commonwealth millions in economic productivity, particularly because TPS recipients are in critically important industries, including health services, nursing and elderly care.
TPS recipients have been living and working in the United States for decades, and El Salvador has participated in the program since March 2001 after two major earthquakes devastated the country. After decades of living in the United States, TPS recipients are home owners, business owners and vital fixtures of our diverse communities. Ending TPS will subject children and families to mass deportation, tear apart communities and plunge El Salvador into further violence and economic instability.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of other anti-immigrant actions by the federal government, including stripping Haitians and Nicaraguans of TPS status and dismantling the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program late last year.
There is no basis for terminating TPS. This humanitarian program has been consistently renewed under both Democratic and Republican administrations to protect people escaping armed conflicts and environmental disasters. Despite the federal government’s rhetoric, TPS does not present a choice between being tough on crime and being a welcoming nation. Criminal convictions disqualify applicants from TPS protection. The program also comes with employment authorization which ensures the economic productivity of its beneficiaries.
The Lawyers’ Committee stands with families and children from El Salvador, Nicaragua and Haiti who believe in the American dream, and we will not stand idly by as the Trump Administration continues its efforts to expel people of color and to generate fear in the heart of our communities.
This statement was featured on WGBH and Boston Magazine.