For Immediate Release:
October 31, 2020
Media Contact:
Erik Villalobos, (516) 660-4508, evillalobos@ndlon.org
Martín Pineda, (562) 916-5650
Immigrant Families under TPS and Labor Unions deliver a strong message to Pennsylvania voters: ‘VOTE AGAINST HATE’
Full list of cities where bus will stop here
Philadelphia, PA– On Saturday October 31, 2020, with only less than a week away from Election Day, The National TPS Alliance, the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the Laborer’s Union- Local 57, and Laborer’s Local 332 held a press conference in Philadelphia.
The event was to welcome the arrival of the famous bus, ‘La Libertad’ currently on a national tour to uplift the demands of permanent residency for over 400,000 TPS holders, to motivate US citizens to ‘Vote Against Hate!’ and to vote in favor of the immigrant community in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania.
The following statements were made:
I am a TPS holder from Los Angeles and have the honor and privilege to be on this important journey. We are traveling across the country to demand the permanent residency that we always deserved and to educate our communities about the reality of COVID-19. It exists and we must take care of ourselves. The other reason we are travelling and a huge reason why we are here in Philadelphia today is that we want to motivate our friends, family and our community to go out and vote! Vote against those who seek to criminalize us and in favor of our families.”- Evelyn Hernandez, TPS Holder from El Salvador, Organizer for CARECEN-LA, and ‘Road to Justice’ Rider
“I am one of the 45,000 Honduran TPS holders who for 21 years, have made significant contributions to this country. We do not deserve these constant threats from this administration and that is why I want to remind everyone that November 3rd will be the last day to exercise the right to vote. TPS holders cannot vote but our children [Eligible US Citizen children] can vote. This is really important for us and for those who do vote, we ask that you think about the immigrant community and the hundreds of thousands of TPS families who are at risk of being separated. Vote against hate, racism and family separation!”- Mardoel Hernandez, TPS Holder from Honduras
“This journey has a strong message of justice for TPS holders but it also has a strong message of hope for all workers. More than 130,000 TPS holders who have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are workers who have helped maintain this country throughout this time of crisis. We are here to demand that TPS recipients, who soon face deportation to obtain the permanent residency they have deserved even since before this pandemic. We are here to fight for the soul of this country and that is why we must come together and vote!- Yanira Merino, National President Laclaa and LIUNA representative
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The National TPS Alliance is a grassroots organization 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