Georgetown Law & UBN Life on Hold

” “ Liberians who’ve legally lived here for years, paid taxes, and made so many positive contributions to their various communities, especially in Rhode Island, deserve the opportunity to get on a path to becoming full citizens…They’ve made a home here, built their lives, and strengthened our communities. America is their home and they shouldn’t be evicted. - Office of Senator Jack Reed Among the Liberian community, the passage of LRIF was met with happy disbelief. “It doesn’t feel very real. I’m still processing,” said Yatta Kiazolu, a 29-year-old Liberian DED holder in Los Angeles who was a plaintiff in African Communities Together v. Trump . “Before, we were trying to navigate all these obstacles, and suddenly all these obstacles are almost gone… Maybe when I’m filling out paperwork it will feel real… Or maybe when I get a five-year driver’s license and a U.S. passport it’ll feel real.” 75 The activists that pushed this legislation were joyful after their hard work. “This is a game-changer,” said Amaha Kassa, executive director of African Communities Together, a national organization that has fought for the Liberians to stay in the United States. “This gives them a chance to stop living from year to year, extension to extension, to finally be able to put down roots and have some security and legal equality.” 76 The Enduring Significance of LRIF The enduring significance of LRIF to those living in the state of limbo between TPS and DED designations cannot be overstated. Without a guaranteed path to stay in the U.S. permanently, Liberians holding TPS and DED were locked in limbo. For many Liberians in the United States, the status quo was untenable.

“

We have [given] so much to this country. We have contributed socially, economically, and everything. People will not know the effect of those things because it has not happened yet, but it will have a big effect on the economy, on my life, in my community, and this country. People just don’t realize it yet because it has not happened.

”

- L.S., Minnesota

75 Karas, supra note 72. 76 Id.

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

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