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Today, January 5, marks the day that the Trump Administration was supposed to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 2,500 Nicaraguans who have legally lived in the US for decades, the start of a domino of cancellations that would topple decades of hard work and stability—building careers, buying houses, raising families—for 350,000 TPS holders throughout the course of this year. Over the next 12 months, TPS could end for people from six countries, including Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.
A hard-won federal court order has halted some cancellations—for now. But as TPS holders cling to the temporary reprieve that this preliminary injunction provides for them in the United States, their co-patriots remain vulnerable to violence, poverty, and human rights abuses. An estimated 14,000 people are currently in “exodus” from Central American countries, their perilous journeys to seek safety now stalled in refugee camps at the US-Mexico border. Tens of thousands more are subject to poverty, violence, and impunity in their countries of origin. Much of the region’s maladies are linked to fragile democracy: The new year marks the continuation of government repression in Nicaragua, fallout from controversial elections in Honduras, and high-stakes February elections in El Salvador.
Central Americans are asylum seekers according to international policy. But for decades, U.S. policy has treated them as undesirables and criminals. Alianza Americas remains committed to making the case for Central Americans’ human right to refuge in United States.
Building on decades of delegations, research, and advocacy on behalf of Central American asylees, migrants, and refugee families, Alianza and its transnational network of 50-plus member organizations will coordinate a series of activities to shed a spotlight on what’s driving migration from Central America – and how responsible investments in democracy, infrastructure, education and job-creation can build nations where residents can not only live, but thrive.
Here’s how you can get involved:
NOW: Tell Congress to Act on TPS
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Member of Congress. Urge Congress to extend protections to Temporary Protected Status holders and build a pathway that recognizes their decades of lawful residency in the United States. [SEE SAMPLE SCRIPT]
January 23: Build a better El Salvador
On the eve of presidential elections in El Salvador, watch as Alianza Americas, in conjunction with El Faro, conduct a conversation with leaders of the different presidential campaigns focused on TPS, the salvadoran exodus and what the country must do to break the cycle of violence and impunity that displaced 296,000 salvadorans in 2017. [WATCH THE LIVESTREAM]
January 27: Support democratic elections
Alianza Americas leadership and members will participate as international election monitors starting on January 30 as Salvadorans prepare to elect their next president on Sunday, February 3. Keep an eye out for our BLOG for more details.
