Washington, DC- Last week, America’s Voice joined 270 other immigration, human rights, faith-based, and civil rights organizations in a letter to call on the Biden administration to redesignate Temporary Protected Status for Nicaragua, in light of the current in-country conditions in Nicaragua. The lasting impacts of Hurricanes Eta and Iota, consolidation of power and repression of dissenters under the Ortega-Murillo regimes, and continued deterioration of democratic structures have made it necessary to protect immigrants in the U.S. who might be deported back to this deteriorating human rights situation. The same conditions that are forcing many Nicaraguans to flee and seek asylum protections in the United States are the ones that make deportation unsafe and unwarranted.
In a press call held yesterday by the Immigration Hub, Congressmen Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto of Florida spoke on the urgency of the situation:
“The solution here is simple: redesignate TPS for Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan immigrants that are living in Florida, in my district, and across the country,” said Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost. “It is the humane thing to do and it is the right thing to do. I know President Biden cares about immigrants in the country and folks abroad. We urge the administration to take this action to come stand in line with the advocates, groups, and stories of people so we can continue to build an equitable immigration system in this country.”
“When the original TPS was granted, it was a godsend for over 50,000 Nicaraguans who are now in the United States,” said Congressman Darren Soto. “We appreciate the President including Nicaraguans in the new parole program, but we also need to not only reauthorize TPS, but extend it to new refugees who are victims of Hurricanes Eta and Iota, knowing what devastation that has caused. Reauthorizing and extending TPS for Nicaraguans will help reunite families as they seek refuge here in the United States. This is a great opportunity for Nicaragauns who are fleeing persecution, to pursue the American dream, and it allows us to address the worker shortage and inflation that we’re still seeing here in the United States.”
According to Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communications for America’s Voice:
“With the Republican-controlled House unlikely to advance any meaningful immigration reform and a collapsing situation in Nicaragua, it is incumbent on the President to use all the tools at his disposal to protect people. TPS is a tool granted to the President through statute that gives him the opportunity to alleviate the fear Nicaraguan immigrants have of being deported back to the chaos. It is a wise investment in U.S. families and American communities as well. Being allowed to work legally without the fear of deportation will allow more Nicaraguans to contribute to their communities and raise strong families. We encourage the Biden Administration to redesignate TPS for Nicaraguans and use TPS aggressively as a tool for other countries as well.”
