As the midterms loom, the looming deportations following the Trump Administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders is increasingly playing a role in campaigns as elected representatives feel the pressure to secure a permanent legislative solution for the hundreds of thousands of TPS holders that could be forcibly deported and separated from their families, potentially orphaning their more than 270,00 U.S. citizen children.
They cannot rely on possible future lower court decisions that could very well be overturned in unfriendly venues like the Supreme Court.
Below are excerpts revealing various stances candidates are taking across the country on TPS:
In NY-21, Democratic candidate Tedra Cobb said:
People who have been living in the country with temporary protected status after fleeing countries ravaged by war and natural disasters, such as Haiti and El Salvador, deserve an opportunity to become citizens and stay in the U.S., she said. They should not be forced to return to countries that are unsafe.
“This is about morality and fairness,” she said.
Senate candidate Rep. Jacky Rosen commented on the importance of TPS-holders in Nevada:
What are you doing or saying to get the Latino vote in Nevada?
“What we’re talking about is we want to protect DREAMers, who came here through no fault of their own. We need to be able to take them off as a bargaining chip. The Republicans, especially this session, are using them as a bargaining chip… We have a lot of TPS [temporary protected status] workers in Nevada. We need to be sure that we protect them. We brought them here we invited them into our country. Some of them over 15 years ago because of turmoil or natural disaster in their own country. They’ve built lives and families so we need to protect them first.”
In Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, GOP candidate Nicolas Kimaz, who is running against Democratic incumbent Ted Deutch, chooses not to support TPS holders and their families:
Kimaz also aligns with President Donald Trump on most issues, including wanting to repeal Obamacare, letting TPS expire and supporting the confirmation of Kavanaugh.
