Dear President Biden,
My name is Crista Ramos, I am currently a junior in high school from the San Francisco Bay Area. My mother is from El Salvador and is a beneficiary of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
At the age of 14, I filed a lawsuit, Ramos v. Nielsen, known today as Ramos V. Wolf, to stop the Trump administration’s racist and anti-immigrant attempts to cancel the TPS program. The cancellation of TPS threatened not just our family, but the families of 250,000 US-citizen children of TPS holders across the country.
I became a plaintiff in this lawsuit and became a member of the National TPS Alliance, a grassroots initiative led by TPS holders across the country to challenge the Trump administration’s cruel plot to separate TPS migrant families. Instead, we want equality and citizenship for all TPS families. It was through our battle in the courts and the work of TPS holders who fought back, that the status of our families has survived four years of Trump’s attacks.
Today, I am still active in the National TPS Alliance as a member of our local TPS Committee for Permanent Residency Now Bay Area. We remain committed to achieving our main objective and are hoping that this becomes the year we secure a pathway to citizenship for 400,000+ TPS holders.
We believe every avenue which can finally guarantee a permanent residency must be explored; whether it is through the American Dream & Promise Act (HR6), the elimination of the filibuster, including legalization provisions through budget reconciliation, or any other means.
The purpose of this letter, Mr. President, is to request a meeting with TPS families to discuss any and all possibilities to ensure a path to permanent residency for all TPS families. We can no longer remain in limbo. Our lives are not temporary. Our dreams cannot be put on hold.
We have been very encouraged by your administration’s recent remarks:
“A pathway to citizenship for our nation’s Dreamers, TPS holders and farm workers is long overdue. That’s what the President included one in the immigration bill sent to Congress on his first day in office. We can and must do this.“ – White House tweet, May 14, 2021
These words are a testament of the years we spent marching the streets of Washington DC, lobbying congress, and uplifting the demands of TPS families across the country. We are delighted to see that you have listened to our call. We will continue to pressure congress and your administration until we can turn these words into action.
For this reason, we as the National TPS Alliance, represented by TPS holders, their US citizen children, families, and allies- are requesting a meeting to discuss what you will do to guarantee a long-awaited permanent residency.
Like so many other immigrant families, we were filled with joy when you met with young Dreamers earlier this month. Now we ask for a meeting with our families who continue to be deprived a seat at the table in discussions about our future.
As TPS families, many of our loved ones have played a key role as frontline workers in the midst of this pandemic and for decades, have been hardworking key contributors to the economic and cultural wealth of this country.
President Biden, it is time for a Permanent Residency NOW! We know how busy your job is, but please take time out of your schedule to hear us make our case for the rights that we deserve.
Sincerely,
Crista Mia Ramos
High School Student
Daughter of TPS Holder
Lead plaintiff Ramos v. Wolf
TPS Youth member
Member of National TPS Alliance