U.S. Senators Call on Re-designation of TPS for Yemen

Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | July 5, 2018 – This week Senator Kaine led over a dozen U.S. Senatorsto Call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Re-Designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemen. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has engaged in vigorous advocacy with Congressional offices to support TPS for Yemen and Somalia. ADC and our allies have been able to garner commitment from dozens of Congressional offices to take action to protect Yemeni and Somali TPS holders.

Last week, ADC co-hosted a Joint Congressional Briefing on TPS for Yemen and Somalia that was co-sponsored by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. Experts from several organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the International Rescue Committee, explained how the government determines TPS status, the dire conditions in Yemen and Somalia, and why it is vital that the DHS re-designate and extend TPS for both Yemeni and Somali nationals in the United States. ADC national board member Debbie Almontaser shared details of her own family’s experience in Yemen’s turmoil, including a story about her own daughter trapped in the war zone.

Before a packed room of Congressional Members, their staffers, and journalists, the briefing gave voice to Yemeni and Somali TPS holders who shared stories about the dire situation in their homelands—places of humanitarian disaster. War, disease, and the effects of climate change, including both drought and flooding, devastate these nations. The homes of millions of people have been destroyed and scores of families are displaced. If TPS Status for Yemen or Somalia expire, then nationals who have been residing and contributing to American society for years will be forced to return to lands that pose a tremendous risk to their lives.

As deadlines for TPS renewal looms, ADC will continue working to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people. However, TPS is a temporary solution. ADC looks forward to working with legislators and its allied organizations toward legislation that provides lasting relief for those seeking peace and the American dream, and a path forward toward citizenship.

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