Date: Sep 21, 2020
Author: Lauri Alvarez
Imagine waking up and realizing it may be your last time in the house you’ve called home for decades. Imagine going about your day wondering if tomorrow you’d even get the chance to say goodbye to your child, your family. Imagine being flown to a country where you no longer have roots. This is the grim reality for over 300,000 members of our community.
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What is Happening?
Last Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Trump Administration that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries will be stripped of their humanitarian protections as early as March 2021 unless there is a rehearing of the Ramos v. Nielsen case. This is an unconscionable decision, especially in the midst of a global pandemic in which over 130,000 TPS beneficiaries are essential workers. Many TPS beneficiaries have been in the United States for decades and have no ties left in their birth countries. They are our friends, neighbors, and colleagues— part of our community. Families will be separated and lives are hanging in the balance waiting to hear whether they will be allowed to stay. But living with this uncertainty and fear is no way to live. We must act NOW to protect our neighbors.
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Here’s what you do:
We must stand up for our TPS community. While a rehearing of this case could extend their temporary protections a bit longer, the appeals process is uncertain, and we can’t depend on the courts. What we need are permanent protections from Congress. Last year, the House of Representatives passed H.R.6 the Dream & Promise Act that would provide TPSianos with a pathway to citizenship. Now it’s time to pressure the Senate.
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Call your senators and tell them to immediately pass H.R. 6, the Dream & Promise Act in the Senate, and support the SECURE Act, S.879 if they haven’t yet. Find them here <<
- Say something like: My name is __ and I’m a constituent of STATE. I urge Senator __ to pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. TPS beneficiaries are valued members of my community and deserve a path to citizenship. Their lives should not be left in limbo when they’ve lived in the United States for decades.
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Tweet your senators on Tuesday 9/22 to commit to passing permanent protections for TPS beneficiaries
- Sample tweet: .@YOURSENATORTWITTER TPS holders are valued members of our community. Pass HR 6 to put TPS holders on the path to citizenship. #HereToStay
- Use hashtags like #HereToStay #TPS #TPSJustice #ResidencyNow
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TPS beneficiaries are valued members of our community. We cannot stand idly by as their rights are stripped away and they are returned to danger. We must raise our voices and demand their path to citizenship. We won’t stop until they are #HereToStay.