Decision on Syria is Cruel & a Sign of the Moral Collapse of the Republican Party Under President Trump
Today, the Department of Homeland Security made its decision to extend, but not redesignate, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria. This is a failure to recognize the extent of the ongoing civil war in Syria and the devastating impact it has had on millions who have been forced to flee their homes and homeland. Since 2012, administrations have recognized the critical need for Syrians to have a place of refuge from conditions that still continue today and designated TPS for Syria in order to prevent Syrians from being deported back to danger.
Currently, 6.6 million people are internally displaced inside Syria, while 13.1 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, and 2.98 million people are in areas under siege or other hard-to-reach areas. This is the reality Syrian TPS holders are fleeing.
Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice Education Fund, responded:
The content of this decision matters. Redesignation is critical because those who have recently arrived from the conflict in Syria have the same need for security and protection from deportation. Anything less than redesignation is a threat to human life.
The decision to extend but not redesignate protections for Syria is incomprehensible as the U.S. government itself has issued a level 4 travel advisory saying “no part of the country is safe from violence.” But this cruelty is what we’ve come to expect from the Trump administration as it continues working to terminate protections for families fleeing dangerous conditions in Nepal, El Salvador, Haiti, Sudan, Nicaragua and Honduras. Out of weakness and fear, this administration is continuing to try to limit immigration in all its forms because it cannot see the inherent strength of America as a place where unity and moral leadership is undergirded by our national motto, out of many one. This decision regarding Syria is cruel and a sign of the moral collapse of the Republican Party under President Trump.
