For Immediate Release
April 26, 2023
Media Contact
Erik Villalobos, [email protected]
Reports on Conditions in El Salvador and Honduras Emphasize Call for Re-Designating TPS
See Reports for Honduras and El Salvador
(Washington, DC) With the support of the National TPS Alliance, sociologist Cecilia Menjivar and economist William Pleites have released reports on the continuing dangers of living in El Salvador and Honduras.
The reports cite the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, economic instability and social conditions in Honduras and El Salvador — and argue that migration from these nations will continue to affect the region as conditions fail to improve.
About the authors:
Cecilia Menjivar is a sociologist based in Los Angeles, holds the Dorothy L. Meier Chair in Social Equities and is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Menjivar’s work specializes in immigration, gender, family dynamics, social networks, religious institutions, and broad conceptualizations of violence.
William Pleites is an economist based in El Salvador and former director of FOMILENIO II, a Salvadoran investment project focused on sustainably improving the country’s economy by strengthening its investment climate, increasing labor productivity and reducing the costs of transportation and logistics.
The National TPS Alliance welcomed these reports in the following statement:
Drs. Menjivar and Pleites confirm much of what we already knew. Although many of our community members have attested to significant improvements of conditions in our countries, including reduced violence and crime as a result of increased policing and prison policies, these reports tell another troubling story — that both El Salvador and Honduras are still unfit and unsafe for a massive return of its citizens from the United States.
For this reason, we continue to call on President Biden to take immediate action. He must re-designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Honduras and El Salvador. Not only because of the ongoing political and economic instability in these countries, but also for reasons of justice and accountability.
The United States owes a historical debt and moral obligation to Central America, because of its long history of political interference, the mistreatment of our people at the border and the interior of the country, and the vital contribution of labor that we have made — and continue to make — to bolster the US economy, even in the midst of a global pandemic. TPS is the least the United States can offer them in return.
As we continue our fight for permanent residency and equal rights in the United States, we will always call for President Biden to utilize his executive authority in order to grant immediate relief for migrants and refugees who need them most.
***To learn more about these reports, the National TPS Alliance will be hosting a Virtual Press Call with participation from Drs. Pleites & Menjivar on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 at 11:00 AM PST/2:00PM EST
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The National TPS Alliance is a grassroots immigrant rights organization, advocating towards permanent residency & Equal Rights for beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
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