For Immediate Release:
March 8th, 2019
Contact:
National TPS Alliance: Armando Carmona, (323) 250-3018, [email protected],
Lawsuit/Plaintiffs: Viridiana Vidal, (702) 206-2110, [email protected]
BREAKING: Due to Public Pressure, DHS Secretary Temporarily Extends TPS for South Sudan
Nationwide – On Friday morning, DHS Secretary Announced extension of TPS for South Sudan for 18 months.
José Palma, Spokesperson for the National TPS Alliance issued the following reaction:
“This small concession is proof that our advocacy is working, though far from over. Secretary Nielsen is facing major lawsuits regarding the racist cancellation of TPS and the procedural violations that caused its original termination. Now, while we recognize the extension for South Sudan it does not deter us from the real objective of reforming our immigration policy and ensuring permanent protection for TPS holders for all 13 countries. Time is running out. Liberia’s DED, for example, ends in 25 days and TPS for Nepal expires in June.”
BACKGROUND:
Ramos v. Nielson was filed in March of 2018 by nine TPS holders – from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan – and five children of TPS holders who were born in the United States. On February 10, 2019, TPS holders and U.S. citizen children of TPS holders filed Bhattarai v. Nielsen, a new lawsuit challenging the termination of TPS for Honduras and Nepal
The lawsuits were filed to prevent the Trump Administration from carrying out its decision to end TPS protections. Plaintiffs in Ramos v. Nielson have won a preliminary injunction requiring the Trump Administration to extend TPS protections and work authorization to TPS holders from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador while the lawsuit is ongoing. Plaintiffs in the newly filed lawsuit, Bhattarai v. Nielsen, seek similar protection.
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The TPS Alliance was formed in 2017 in response to the Trump administration’s stripping nearly half a million TPS holders of legal status. Along with its anchor organizations – NDLON and CARECEN-LA, the TPS Alliance includes over 60 local committees in 27 states. The National TPS Alliance spurred the lawsuit leading to a federal judge blocking Trump’s cancellation of TPS for El Salvador, Sudan, Haiti, and Nicaragua, and the ongoing litigation over Nepal and Honduras.