Breaking: TPS Holders Launch Hunger Strike as Hundreds of Thousands of Families Face Separation This Holiday Season as Crucial TPS Deadlines Looms.
TPS families urge the Biden Administration to act on TPS now!
VIDEO AND PICTURES:
Washington, D.C– Today, at a press conference held at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., TPS holders from across the nation have gathered in the capital to announce their commitment to a hunger strike. Their goal is to urge the Biden Administration to extend and redesignate TPS for all countries under the program. The hunger strikes will abstain from food, using their hunger to symbolize the deprivation and desperation experienced in their home countries. This act underscores the harsh reality many may face next year if TPS is not extended—a future filled with uncertainty and hardship.
This action carries great urgency, as the largest TPS-holder community, originating from El Salvador, faces a critical deadline on January 8, 2025. As of now, the United States has designated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of the following countries: El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Nepal, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Venezuela, Burma (Myanmar), Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Ukraine, due to conditions such as armed conflict, natural disasters, and other extraordinary circumstances that make it unsafe for their citizens to return.
Throughout the week, more Hunger Strikers from across the country will join in D.C., while also hosting a series of events and meetings with elected officials to pressure the Biden Administration on all fronts to extend and redesignate TPS.
The Following Are Notable Statements From Speakers at Today’s Press Conference:
“For over 40 years, CARECEN has worked to transform the immigration system, secure legal status for immigrants, and promote community activism,” said Martha Arevalo, CARECEN-LA Executive Director. “As a proud sponsor of the National TPS Alliance, we stand in solidarity as the hunger strike begins. TPS holders abstain from food to symbolize the deprivation in their home countries and the uncertainty they face if TPS is not extended.”
“We are here advocating and speaking up for the well-being of all TPS families, holding on to a glimmer of hope that we can find peace during the holidays with our loved ones, despite the immense stress we feel in the face of the upcoming administration,” said Jose Urias, Salvadoran TPS holder. “I am a TPS beneficiary, owner of a business that employs more than 60 people. I have children born in this country and a lifetime of contributions to this great nation, but today, none of that could stop the next administration from tearing me away from a lifetime of work.”
“I came to this country decades ago, today I have a citizen daughter, I have my small business as a street vendor, and I work cleaning the offices of the mayor of Washington DC. My temporary status did not allow me to go see my mother when she passed away, and it has limited me from many benefits, however, it has been a beacon of hope for me and my family,” said Soledad Miranda, Salvadoran TPS holder. “Many people believe that the next president is about to take the country on a turbulent and bumpy ride. We believe they are right, and TPS is a seat belt! We need to be able to buckle up for safety before a fiercely anti-immigrant administration takes the wheel. Mr. President Biden, we expect more from you than from the man who tried to take away the little security we had in this country. Please do everything you can, right now, to protect us from him.”