More than 350,000 people would be at risk of deportation if the Supreme Court rules against them in a case on Temporary Protected Status (TPS), following the decision of the Donald Trump administration to end the program that protects people from Haiti and Syria.
However, although this determination would directly affect immigrants from those countries, its negative impact could extend to more than 1.3 million people from 17 countries with TPS.
The justices will question the Trump government and the defense of immigrants about the Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot, which were consolidated for a joint decision.
In a digital press conference organized by The usa’s Assert, Representative Delia Ramirez (Ilinois) criticized President Donald Trump’s administration for what she called “a war” against immigrants.
“Regardless of what happens in the Supreme Court case this week, in Congress we must continue to fight for a path to citizenship,” he said.
Vanessa Cárdenas, director of The USA’s Assert, indicated that the Trump administration is pushing an attempt to “circumvent” court decisions, in addition to criticizing the trusty government’s immigration agenda, which includes attempts to end birthright citizenship.
The case is so important that the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) confirmed that former federal officials – from Democratic and Republican administrations – and 19 states presented ‘amicus curiae’ briefs (friendly documents of the court at the request of the TPS).
“Specifically [los ‘amicus’] “They emphasize that the Department of Homeland Security did not conduct a meaningful interagency consultation or adequately evaluate the country’s trust situation in Haiti before ending TPS protections,” it warns.
In this context, Linda Stone, director of Mamás con Poder, offered an interview to this newspaper where she delved into the importance of maintaining TPS and protecting families.
TPS faces an important challenge, although what will be discussed in the Supreme Court is TPS for Haitians and people from Syria… but that decision could have an impact on the entire TPS program. In general terms, tell us what we are up to?
“Yes, tomorrow [miércoles 29 de abril] It is a very important day in which the future of the TPS program for 17 countries will practically be decided. There are more than 1.3 million people who have the future of their lives in what the Supreme Court decides tomorrow, although the decision will directly impact first what TPS is for Haiti, which is 350,000 people, and TPS for Syria, which is 6,500 people. That is, the cases that are going to be heard are what the court decides tomorrow would also impact the other 17 countries, [es decir] 1.3 million people. What we practically want to know [de la Corte Suprema es si se va] align with Trump in wanting to take away immigration protection from more than a million people.”
Yes, nothing more. So what we are going to hear are the positions of both parties. They are going to listen to the legal arguments or of course, as you point out, a lot is outlined with the questions of the justices, the inclination they could have and give a perspective on where they could make a decision and the final decision, I think, is at the end of the Supreme Court’s term. Now, how are you seeing it from the perspective of you as the leader of the Mamas con Poder organization? How does it impact families and children specifically?
“Look, the impact on the communities is direct, on the families too, because, for example, I’m talking to you about the case of Haiti. The people of Haiti have lived in this country for many years, they have citizen children, that is, children who were born in this country, who go to schools. They also have businesses contributing millions of dollars to the economy. They have houses, they are already a very essential part of the communities of our country. Specifically, there are states such as Florida, such as Ohio, where their contribution is important. In Ohio, they fulfill a very specific role in providing care services… If they cannot work in that, there will be a crisis, there will be a care crisis in this state… How are we going to sustain such key communities, for example, in Ohio, in Florida, in Original York, without their work? And third, the humanitarian part, the trusty part, which is what this government also strongly demands. How are we going to send them to a country that is in ruins? to Haiti, don’t go.”
What is the Trump administration’s argument for ending TPS? Does it really cause problems for the government?
“The program does not cause problems for the government, in fact, it has been shown how many millions of dollars it has brought to the economy. This comes from the campaign when the president promised his bases that he was going to end immigration programs… And what I want to emphasize is that this more than anything is an issue, first, inhumane… and second, that it does not make sense if you look at it from an economic point of view, it does not make sense to take away these millions of dollars that come from people who have TPS.”
Let’s think about something extreme, that the Supreme Court aligns itself precisely with the policies of President Donald Trump and says, well, the government has the authority to end this program when it wants and how it wants. What is the scenario for families? That is, what would happen to the families?
“Very good question because we are talking about 1.3 million people who would be at risk of being deported. The question is how the government could deport 1.3 million people. It is something that does not make sense from a logistical point of view, from an infrastructure point of view. And third, this is only the largest campaign to remove immigration protections from the Latino community and has not been seen in the history of this country.”
In what sectors do people with TPS work? For example, during the pandemic we published that they worked in essential sectors, such as helping as medical assistants, nurses, many doctors too.
“Yes, they are mostly in the care industry, that is, for example, people who take care of the elderly, people who take care of children, people who work helping nurses in hospitals. They are also in the construction sector, they are in the hospitality sector and they are also in the sector that has to do with restaurants, etc. They are in the front row and during the pandemic these people were there helping people who were at home to receive not only access to our food in supermarkets, the care that our grandfather needed, for example.”
Let’s think about an extreme case, what would you recommend to families if the Supreme Court rules against TPS?
“Very good question. First, you are not alone. There are many people who are with you, we are fighting. Second, it is important to have a family idea. If you have access to lawyers, talk to your lawyer and learn about different other ways that your case has, access to be able to seek your immigration status, for example, asylum. Each case is different, that is why it is important to speak with a lawyer. Third and very important is that you are a member of the National TPS Alliance, because the National TPS Alliance is handling different avenues for protect the Tepesian community. For example, what I just happened a few weeks ago through the representative. [Ayanna] Presley, in which this vote could be won in what is the lower House and now it goes to the Senate in what is TPS for Haiti. What I mean is stay informed, you are not alone, get involved.”
