Georgetown Law & UBN Life on Hold

they may be separated from their children if TPS is allowed to expire or not redesignated. TPS is also a niche status, historically not often discussed or advocated for by mainstream immigration advocates, leaving TPS holders out of larger conversations about immigration and pathways to citizenship.

Short Case Study: Haiti There are close to 50,000 Haitians living with TPS in the United States. These are people who have built lives in the United States, often having children and establishing families and community networks here. American children born to Haitian TPS recipients and Haitian families have to face the harsh reality that their lives together in this country may not be permanent. The possible revocation of a country’s TPS status would jeopardize those lives and possibly break families apart. 47

Deferred Enforced Departure Brief Overview of DED

DED is a status authorized by the President as part of the presidential executive powers of discretion. 48 If covered by DED, an individual is not subject to removal from the United States for a designated period of time and may be eligible for work authorization if they meet certain criteria and apply for a work permit. In 2007, President George W. Bush directed that DED be provided to Liberians in the United States whose TPS protection was set to expire on September 30, 2007. 49 DED status for Liberia was extended since then by all Presidents through President Trump and was subsequently set to expire on March 31, 2018. Through advocacy from Liberian community members and immigration advocates, DED for Liberia was finally extended by President Trump through January 10, 2021. On January 20, 2021, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to reinstate DED for eligible Liberians and to provide for continued work authorization through June 30, 2022. 50

47 Peniel Ibe & Kathryn Johnson, Trump has ended Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. Here’s what you need to know, Am. Friend Serv. Comm. (Jun. 30, 2020), https://www.afsc.org/blogs/news-and-commentary/trump-has-ended- temporary-protected-status-hundreds-thousands-immigrants. 48 President Biden Reinstates DED for Eligible Liberians, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Servs., https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/ president-biden-reinstates-ded-for-eligible-liberians (last visited May 4, 2021). 49 DED Granted Country – Liberia, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Servs., https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/deferred-enforced- departure/ded-granted-country-liberia (last visited May 4, 2021). 50 U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Servs., supra note 48.

Life On Hold: Black Immigrants & the Promise of Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness

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