Members of Congress Call for TPS Designations to Protect Central American Migrants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 11, 2022

CONTACTS:

Elyssa Pachico  | +1 503 347 23 29 | press@alianzaamericas.org

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayokras, 33 senators urged the Biden administration to redesignate Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua for the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) humanitarian program, and issue a new designation for Guatemala. 

“This is a key show of support from Members of Congress for TPS designations, which are urgently needed to protect Central American migrants in the U.S. from being deported back to a region unequipped to receive them,” said Yanira Arias, campaign manager at Alianza Americas. “By helping lead this letter, Senator Bob Menendez is once again demonstrating his commitment to expanding humane policies to U.S. immigrant communities, and for that we are grateful.” 

“It’s up to the Biden administration to move urgently to take this basic first step towards implementing more humane immigration policies, including but not limited to TPS,” added Arias. “Meanwhile, Congress needs to work together to finally deliver permanent protections to those who’ve lived in uncertainty for far too long because of their unresolved migration status.” 

“The Biden administration must act and provide certainty for eligible individuals from Central America during this challenging moment,” the letter states. “These temporary designations would give the U.S. government more time to partner with governments and civil society in the region to ensure that the return of a large number of individuals to Central America does not create further instability and volatility. They would also provide immediate and tangible humanitarian benefits to new status holders and help mitigate the factors driving dangerous outmigration by securing life-saving remittances.” 

Read the full letter here.

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Alianza Americas is the only transnational organization rooted in Latino immigrant communities in the United States focused on improving the quality of life of all people in the U.S.-Mexico-Central America migration corridor.  As a network of Latino and Caribbean immigrants, Alianza Americas is working for change in the U.S. while also promoting a more stable, healthy, democratic and safer conditions in the countries of origin of their members.