Georgetown Law & UBN Life on Hold

LRIF gives firm footing to those who have grown social and familial ties in the United States but are still noncitizens. It is also important to remember that many Liberian Americans have family in Liberia who they keep in contact with and want to visit. Once someone has adjusted status via LRIF, they are free to leave the United States and visit family in Liberia or to travel elsewhere in the world. Under alternating extensions of TPS and DED, travel without consequence was not an option for recipients. Risking any return to Liberia meant gambling with the possibility of not being admitted to the United States upon return: My daughter came here when she was 2-years old. So it’s the only country she knows. She wouldn’t be able to come here [back to the United States if she leaves]. My son may be able to go to Liberia, but they are young adults. How often will they be able to travel to Liberia? Me and my children would be separated. I don’t know who would want to be in that situation where their children are not with them. LRIF’s Opportunities LRIF grants lawful permanent resident status to eligible applicants without the need for an immigration hearing or interview, allows applicants to work while applications are pending, and sets recipients on a secure pathway to U.S. citizenship. The permanency of the program, not measured year-to-year like TPS and DED, could give Liberians a semblance of peace of mind. Without the threat of deportation or an ever-expiring program, they are free to grow roots and become a permanent part of the wider community without the fear that they will be deported back to a country they may no longer know. This boon is sustainable because, under LRIF, spouses, unmarried children under 21, and unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older are also eligible for adjustment. 77 Unlike other adjustment of status programs, LRIF is not discretionary. This means that applicants for LRIF are not subject to an individualized assessment of their merit in addition to the basic eligibility requirements. Under the statute, every Liberian national who is eligible can be granted relief. Because there is no cap on the total number of LRIF recipients, everyone that qualifies can and should be granted legal permanent resident status. LRIF also allows Liberians going through the adjustment of status process to obtain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). This allows applicants to work legally while their status is adjusted. 78 ” “ - L.S., Minnesota

77 Read, supra note 63. 78 Liberian DED Work Permits News, UndocuBlack Network (Feb. 24, 2020), https://static1. squarespace. com/static/5701c3253c44d887e796b6e2/t/5e5d524d5b6f9b4c2ff0493d/1583174224352/ Liberian+LRIF+THINGS+TO+KNOW+2_25_20+%281%29.pdf.

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

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