Launch of Campaign to Secure Permanent Residence for Central Americans with Temporary Protected Status
On Monday, January 30, 2012, CARECEN DC joined more than 20 organizations in 15 states to launch and plan the future steps of the national campaign to push for Permanent Residence for Central Americans currently on Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The press conference took place at the Mickey Leland Federal Building in Houston, Texas and organizers made a call to members of the TPS community, legislators, community organizations and activists, congregations and faith leaders, unions, and all those who support a fair and viable solution for immigrant families in the U.S. to come together and support this campaign.
Background
Nearly 14 years ago,Central America was hit with several devastating natural disasters which had a significant impact on entire communities throughout the region and led to hundreds of thousands of Central American families establishing roots in the United States. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, one of the deadliest hurricanes in Central American history, ravaged Honduras and Nicaragua and resulted in the loss and displacement of thousands, as well as a collapse in the physical infrastructure. Due to this devastation, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was designated to both countries in 1999.
The 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador resulted in the loss of over 1,000 lives and resulted in the displacement of thousands more, in addition to extensive destruction of the physical infrastructure and severe damage to the country's economy. Reconstruction efforts have been slowed and hindered by subsequent Hurricanes, including Stan (2005), Felix (2007), Ida (2009) and most recently, Tropical Rain E12 (2011). Consequently, Salvadorans who were granted TPS status in 2001,and continue to fall under this status.
Very recently, all of the countries were extended their designation for temporary protected status for another 18 months. The Secretary of Homeland Security determined that an extension is warranted because the conditions that prompted the initial designation of TPS continue to be met, in particular inadequate or fragile infrastructure and weak economies which at this moment would be unable to adequately handle the return of its nationals from the U.S.
TPS has allowed its beneficiaries to remain in the U.S. since then with mandatory renewal every 18 months to maintain this status. The costs associated with this renewal are high and burdensome for many families. Thousands of families who have lived here nearly a decade or more are in a state of limbo, because they do not know what could happen to them after the 18 month period that their status is valid. The only way to secure a more stable and safe future for them is to enable them to become Permanent Residents, which will, consequently, put them on the path to U.S. Citizenship. Currently, TPS beneficiaries form Central America include: approximately 64,000 Hondurans, 212,000 Salvadorans, and 3,000 Nicaraguans, according to the Federal Register.
Action
While comprehensive immigration reform is not foreseeable in the near future and the current administration has adopted a step by step approach in tackling the unfair and confusing immigration practices, community organizations from all throughout the country have formed a coalition to advocate for legislative action that will allow TPS holders to stay in the US as permanent residents.
We come together to support vibrant futures for families that have not only contributed to our national economy, but have been a critical and positive force in the reconstruction of their home countries by sending remittances to family members. These families are productive members of our society with the same dreams and hopes as many of us, and have worked very hard to provide for their families, buy their first home here in the U.S., or open their own business. Every 18 months during the renovation process, they have gone through background checks and have proved that they are law-abiding and of good moral character and that they pay their income taxes every year.
It is critical to understand that TPS, this important but temporary immigration benefit, is not the path towards self-sufficient, stable immigrant communities. Permanent Residency is the only solution to ensure the progress of our families, communities, and nation, and end the uncertainty that these thousands of families are living everyday.
The Coalition
The campaign is a joint effort of the following organizations: The SHARE Foundation (Berkley, CA); Oregon's Latino Immigrant Rights Coalition, Causa (Salem, OR); CARECEN-DC; CRECEN-Houston; CARECEN-LA; Centro Romero (Chicago, IL); Sunflower Community Action (Wichita, KS); East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (Berkley, CA); CEUS (Union City, NJ); Centro Hispano Cuzcatlan (Jamaica, NY); America paraTodos (Houston, TX); Voluntarios por El Salvador (Houston, TX); Comite Amigos en Accion (Houston, TX); Centro Civico Salvadoreno (Dallas, TX); Wind of the Spirit, NJ; Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (Chicago, IL); North Carolina Latin American Coalition (Charlotte, NC); and SALEF (Los Angeles, CA)
