Rep. Jimmy Gomez Leads 78 House Colleagues on Letter to White House and DHS, Urging Renewal of Temporary Protected Status for Central America, Haiti, and Syria
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
November 1, 2017
Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D – Los Angeles) and House colleagues wrote to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, urging the renewal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, and Syria.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D – Los Angeles) and 78 other House colleagues wrote to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, urging the renewal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, and Syria. “The people of Central America, Haiti, and Syria have faced a series of disasters, including catastrophic earthquakes and hurricanes, that have left their countries devastated. Violence and political unrest have complicated rebuilding efforts, leaving thousands displaced without a home to return to,” read the letter. “Conditions simply have not sufficiently improved since the most recent extension for these countries to safely and productively reintegrate TPS recipients in their home communities. Extending TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, and Syria is a compassionate and pragmatic choice.” Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a designation that allows nationals of a foreign state to seek temporary refuge in the United States if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that they cannot safely return to their country of origin. Reasons for a country receiving TPS designation include ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or an epidemic. DHS urges TPS recipients who do not have another immigration status to use to prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States—including proactively seeking travel documentation—or to apply for other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible. The full letter can be viewed here ### November 1, 2017 The Honorable Elaine C. Duke
Dear Chief of Staff Kelly and Acting Secretary Duke, We write to strongly urge you to renew the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, and Syria. As you near the statutory 60-day decision date prior to a country’s TPS expiration, we ask you to review each of these designations closely, taking into consideration the current conditions of each country, the contributions these TPS recipients have made to our country, and the economic impact a negative determination would have across the United States. The people of Central America and Haiti have faced a series of disasters, including catastrophic earthquakes and hurricanes, that have left their countries devastated. In Syria, ongoing armed conflict has caused death and destruction and has left more than 6 million internally displaced. In Honduras and Nicaragua, Hurricane Mitch caused extensive damage that destroyed roads, bridges, and agricultural plantations vital to the economy. It claimed the lives of over 10,000 people, and displaced 1.5 million people. Basic social infrastructure systems such as the health, water, and sanitation services were severely damaged and have yet to recover. In addition, violence and climate fluctuations between droughts and floods have rendered these countries unable to adequately handle a safe return of TPS recipients. In El Salvador, a series of major quakes destroyed a quarter of the country’s housing stock with economic losses amounting to 12 percent of El Salvador’s GDP. Since 2001, Administrations from both parties have extended TPS for El Salvador, with the latest extension ending on March 9, 2018. Infrastructure problems related to these disasters, including lack of potable water, housing shortage, widespread hunger, and unemployment continue to permeate the region. In addition, violence continues to ravage El Salvador, hindering rebuilding efforts. For years, El Salvador has long struggled with staggering homicide rates and transnational gang activity. In Haiti, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake displaced 1.5 million people and irreparably damaged the island’s infrastructure. The outbreak of infectious diseases and continued hurricane activity have further hindered the country’s ability to recover. The conditions prompting Haiti’s most recent TPS extension continue to persist, including housing shortages; disease; limited access to medical care, food, and water. This year’s hurricanes have inflicted damage on Haiti’s infrastructure, further complicating and delaying the recovery process. In Syria, atrocities committed by the Assad regime and the Islamic State have created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. The sustained conflict has caused 5 million Syrian refugees to flee from their homeland in search of safety. Forcing these individuals to return to this war zone will effectively amount to a death sentence. Despite the substantial efforts made by the United States and the international community to improve conditions, the damage of these cataclysmic events compounded by the residual effects of disease, violence, and poverty have resulted in a stagnant recovery. Conditions simply have not sufficiently improved since the most recent extension for these countries to safely and productively reintegrate TPS recipients in their home communities. Apart from positioning the U.S. as a humanitarian leader, extending TPS also serves our national interest by boosting our economy. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, TPS recipients have high-labor participation rates, ranging from 81-88 percent, 11 percent of which is self-employed. TPS recipients from these countries contribute more than $4.5 billion dollars in pre-tax wages and $6.1 billion in Social Security and Medicare. Terminating TPS for these countries would result in a loss of more than $45.2 billion dollars in GDP, over the next decade. The deportation of TPS recipients would cost taxpayers $3.1 billion dollars, $10,070 per person. Consequently, employers would have to incur turnover cost of approximately 21.4% of an employee’s yearly salary. Industries with a high concentration of TPS workers, such as, construction, landscaping, child care, and food services would experience massive layoffs. The lay-off of the entire employed TPS population from these countries would result in a more than $967 million turnover cost for businesses. TPS recipients are hardworking contributors to the American economy and do not represent a risk to public safety. As you know, all TPS recipients are fully vetted and are required to undergo an array of rigorous biometrics checks to ensure that they are not a risk to national security. To be eligible to apply for TPS, applicants must: (1) satisfy continuous presences and continuous resentence requirements; (2) register for TPS during a set period (3) pay a fee and (4) meet other requirements. Extending TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, and Syria is a compassionate and pragmatic choice. Giving these countries more time to rebuild and recover from the extraordinary events will protect the lives of vulnerable people and mitigate potential strains on the U.S. economy and immigration system. Moreover, the United States benefits immensely when immigrants work. We urge you to consider these factors as you make a decision in extending the expiration date of TPS for these countries and await your response. Sincerely, Norma J. Torres James P. McGovern Michelle Lujan Grisham Marcy Kaptur Henry C. "Hank" Johnson Joseph Crowley Debbie Wasserman Schultz Grace F. Napolitano Barbara Lee Bobby L. Rush Yvette D. Clarke Raúl M. Grijalva David N. Cicilline Eleanor Holmes Norton Peter Welch Elijah E. Cummings Bonnie Watson Coleman Pramila Jayapal Gwen Moore Peter A. DeFazio Mark Pocan Frank Pallone, Jr. Adriano Espaillat Michael E. Capuano Linda T. Sánchez Frederica S. Wilson Janice D. Schakowsky Ro Khanna Juan Vargas Dwight Evans Alcee L. Hastings Jamie Raskin Jared Polis Joseph P. Kennedy, III Lucille Roybal-Allard Donald M. Payne, Jr. Danny K. Davis Kathy Castor Colleen Hanabusa André Carson Nydia M. Velázquez Ruben Kihuen José E. Serrano Donald S. Beyer Jr. J. Luis Correa Beto O’Rourke Darren Soto Katherine Clark Joaquin Castro Eliot L. Engel Seth Moulton Mark Takano Sheila Jackson Lee Gregory W. Meeks Adam Smith Frederica S. Wilson Val Butler Demings Louise McIntosh Slaughter Mike Quigley Luis V. Gutiérrez Steve Cohen Salud O. Carbajal Jimmy Panetta Nanette Diaz Barragán Gene Green Tony Cárdenas Julia Brownley Mark DeSaulnier Alan S. Lowenthal John Lewis Hakeem S. Jeffries Jerrold Nadler Robert C. "Bobby" Scott Grace Meng John Yarmuth Alma S. Adams Judy Chu Albio Sires |
