Thirty mayors from across the country sent a letter to the Biden Administration this week requesting that they designate or redesignate 15 countries for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The countries include: Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Lebanon, Mauritania, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Sudan.
The letter explains how designation and redesignation of TPS for these countries could offer protection from deportation as well as employment authorization for approximately two million immigrants currently residing in the U.S.
The letter emphasizes how TPS is a valuable tool that would protect many long-standing community members from being returned to dangerous country conditions and offer them critical employment authorization in the U.S., while also working towards advancing racial justice in local communities and facilitating COVID-19 recovery efforts.
As the Biden Administration considers designations and redesignations for various countries (including those whose TPS designation was terminated by the Trump Administration), local government leaders urge the administration to act rapidly in providing critical protections to the millions of immigrants residing in their communities. The letter emphasizes how such protections would align with the administration’s vision of a fair, functional, and humane immigration system.
Cities for Action is a coalition of over 150 U.S. mayors and county executives working to advocate for and promote civic inclusion of our immigrant communities. Click HERE to see a list of Cities for Action mayors and county executives.
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