Following Passage of the American Dream & Promise Act, TPS Families Begin Historic Hunger Strike
See Narrative:
“Why Are TPS Families Declaring a Hunger Strike?”
Washington DC– Just one day after the House of Representatives passed the American Dream & Promise Act, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship to an estimated 4.4 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., including Dreamers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, Temporary Protected (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries, TPS Families began a 43-day hunger strike to pressure the Biden administration and congress to take immediate action on the demands of TPS families, who continue to wait for President Biden to deliver on his promise to fully restore the TPS program and for congress to finally grant a permanent residency for over 400,000 TPS beneficiaries.
Throughout the duration of the hunger strike, participants will be in a temporary campaign site located in Liberty Plaza of Washington DC, where TPS families will also host weekly press conferences, teach-ins, live musical performances, and hand out educational materials.
Participants of the Hunger Strike made the following statements:
“I am a daughter of a TPS holder and today, I am beginning this hunger strike to demand that the senate passes HR6 and that congress continues to act by pushing any and all legislative packages which would guarantee my mother the permanent residency she deserves. We have fought long and hard to arrive at this critical moment.”-Rebecca Vasquez, Daughter of a TPS Holder
“Today we begin this strike to ensure that as we push Congress to pass a permanent residency for all TPS Holders, Bidenfully must fully restore the TPS program and expands the program to provide much-needed relief for many in our community who cannot return to this country due to natural or political disasters.”-Felipe Arnoldo Diaz, Coordinator of the Nelsy Umanzor TPS Committee
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The National TPS Alliance is a grassroots organization comprised of over 50 committees nationwide, advocating for the permanent residency of beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status from the countries of El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, Nepal, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Yemen