Honduras TPS Decision Deadline: TOMORROW
The Trump Administration has one more day to decide whether to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 57,000 Hondurans legally living, working and raising children in the United States. Leading up to the deadline, members of Congress signed a petition urging Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen to renew TPS for Honduras given that the country is still recovering from natural disasters, and does not have adequate resources to take in tens of thousands of TPS holders currently living in the United States.
The signed petition reads as follows:
Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515
April 30, 2018
The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
650 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Dear Secretary Nielsen,
As you approach the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) expiration date for the people of Honduras, we urge the administration to take the extraordinary crisis in Honduras into account and renew its TPS designation for the maximum eighteen months.
As you know, in 1998, the people of Honduras faced a series of natural disasters that left their country devastated. Hurricane Mitch caused extensive damage that destroyed roads, bridges, and agricultural plantations vital to the economy. It claimed the lives of over I0,000 people and the damage caused by Hurricane Mitch setback the country for more than 50 years. In addition, basic social infrastructure systems such as the health, water, and sanitation services were severely damaged and have yet to recover.
Despite substantial efforts made by the United States and the international community to improve conditions in Honduras, the damage of these cataclysmic events compounded by the residual effects of disease, violence, and poverty have resulted in a stagnant recovery. Conditions simply have not sufficiently improved to safely and productively reintegrate TPS recipients in their home communities.
In fact, conditions have substantially worsened in recent months. Well-documented irregularities in Honduras’ November 26, 2017 presidential election led to massive street protests, and the government responded with excessive use of force. According to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Honduran security forces killed sixteen protesters. Unfortunately, the government’s failure to resolve post-election crisis has only increased the instability that continues to plague the country.
Honduran TPS recipients are hardworking contributors to the American economy and do not represent a risk to public safety. Giving Honduras more time to rebuild and recover from the extraordinary events will protect the lives of vulnerable people and strengthen our local communities. We urge you to consider these factors as you make a decision in renewing TPS for Honduras and await your response.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Gomez
Pete Aguilar
Norma J. Torres
Adriano Espaillat
James P. McGovern
J. Luis Correa
Jerrold Nadler
Salud O. Carbajal
Zoe Lofgren
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Joseph Crowley
Frank Pallone, Jr.
Luis V. Gutiérrez
Raul M. Grijalva
Nydia M. Velázquez
Eliot L. Engel
Elijah E. Cummings
André Carson
Frederica S. Wilson
Ruben J. Kihuen
Katherine M. Clark
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Pramila Jayapal
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Grace F. Napolitano
Albio Sires
Dina Titus
Peter Welch
Ruben Gallego
Gwen Moore
David N. Cicilline
Sheila Jackson Lee
David E. Price
Mark Pocan
Seth Moulton
Darren Soto
Yvette D. Clarke
Joaquin Castro
Janice D. Schakowsky
Jamie Raskin
Filemon Vela
Mike Quigley
Barbara Lee
Brenda L. Lawrence
Jacky Rosen
Robert C. “Bobby” Scott
Grace Meng
John Lewis
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Anthony G. Brown
José E. Serrano
Ro Khanna
Lois Frankel
Robin L. Kelly
Kathleen M. Rice
Diana DeGette
