For Immediate Release
November 19, 2020
Media Contact:
Erik Villalobos, evillalobos@ndlon.org, (516) 660-4508
Martin Pineda, mpineda@carecen-la.org (213) 712-4022
NATIONAL TPS ALLIANCE HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE TO DEMAND HUMANITARIAN AID FOR CENTRAL AMERICA
Two unprecedented hurricanes have left hundreds of thousands of people without a home throughout Central America, TPS communities are calling on the US government to restore TPS Program and ensure immediate relief
Los Angeles, CA — In response to the destruction left behind by Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota, considered the strongest storms that have hit Central America in history, the National TPS Alliance held a Press Conference outside the US Federal Building in Los Angeles to call for immediate humanitarian aid and TPS extensions for the countries impacted by these storms.
Members of the National TPS Alliance made the following statements:
“We are saddened to see the devastation left behind by this storm, in our native lands. Hurricanes Eta and Iota have caused disastrous flooding which has taken roads, bridges, buildings, homes, even putting entire villages underwater. While this has been a difficult year for all of us, natural disasters, constant political crises, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the conditions in our native countries, especially those who are surviving through the devastating impacts of these natural disasters.” -Lorena Zepeda, Salvadoran TPS Holder from Los Angeles, CA
“If the US and Mexican governments hope to avoid caravans of Central American migrants traveling through their borders, they must act now and provide the immediate humanitarian aid necessary for rebuilding these communities. The US government must commit financially and responsibly to an immediate plan for reconstruction in the region, one that centers and hires impacted communities, provides avenues for participation of civil society and ensures transparency and accountability to prevent corruption. Rebuilding can and should begin very soon, and generate jobs so that those who have lost their homes can rebuild their own neighborhoods, collective spaces, and local institutions.”–Martha Arevalo, Executive Director of CARECEN-LA
“These disasters have become a setback in the progress of these developing countries. We need to restore TPS for all 12 countries; more specifically for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti; who although has not been struck by this storm, has still been experiencing devastating impacts due to previous natural disasters and an ongoing political crisis. We also ask that TPS is provided for countries who are currently not beneficiaries of the program, such as Guatemala; which has been struck by this storm and Venezuela, another country with an ongoing political crisis.” –Pablo Alvarado, Co-Executive Director of NDLON
The TPS Alliance will be circulating an open letter to the Trump Administration and Biden transition team, as well as Congressional leadership, outlining demands to be presented at the press conference and delivered at a later time to the federal government. The demands come in light of the impact of a hurricane of epic proportions, that will scale up poverty in an area already heavily hit by economical, political, and civil rights crisis, as well as the global pandemic.
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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