Menu
TPS Can Alleviate Impacts of Migrant Crisis
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST EXPAND HUMANITARIAN PROTECTIONS TO RECOGNIZE DANGERS OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Expanding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Can Alleviate Impacts of Migrant Crisis
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) called on the federal government to expand humanitarian protection to additional countries where gender-based violence and climate change are preventing the safe return of migrants. Specifically, we propose an expansion of the underutilized Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which would offer migrants seeking safety in the United States a path forward with protection from deportation and work authorization.
TPS expansion is critical to help alleviate the negative impacts of the unfolding migrant crisis in our communities. Migrants are fleeing harrowing conditions. They are arriving ready to work with a desire to be self-sustaining. Many cannot safely return to their home countries. If given the opportunity, they are positioned to make significant contributions to our local communities and economies.
The federal government has broad power and authority to designate countries for TPS. A historical review of the last three decades shows TPS has been a powerful, bi-partisan tool to address gender-based violence and climate catastrophes. TPS offers life-saving humanitarian protection and relief, particularly for women and children fleeing dangerous conditions in their countries of origin.
Because the federal government has already recognized the prevalence of gender-based violence and climate crisis when granting TPS for other countries, there is ample precedent that such protections are not only permissible but necessary for additional countries. The next step must be a holistic and systematic assessment of Latin American, African, and Asian countries to expand TPS designations. The review should begin immediately with transparency and accountability.
Click here for the TPS letter.
TPS-Designations-for-Gender-Violence-and-Climate