Georgetown Law & UBN Life on Hold

Recommendations for Improving TPS, DED, and LRIF The following are concrete recommendations aimed at improving the administration of TPS, DED, and the 2021 implementation of LRIF. Recommendations for Improving TPS Decrease the Application Backlog/Increase Processing Speed of Applications: The uncertainty faced by many immigrants, compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is made worse by the increased USCIS backlog in processing cases. Expedited processing of applications would help lessen the burden on applicants who are already in a tough situation. Streamline Application Processes: The TPS application process at present requires the submission of form I-821 and, in the case of the existence of any grounds of inadmissibility, form I-601 for a waiver to obtain TPS. Requesting an employment authorization document is a separate process and makes the whole application process difficult to manage for many. USCIS should consider consolidating applications in any way possible to reduce the number of separate applications necessary. Ease Documentation Requirements: The primary requirements for submission of documents include copies of passports, birth certificates, and/or national identity documents from the individual’s country of origin. It is often difficult for individuals to obtain these documents from their government or their corresponding embassies, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary requirements include other documents showing that an individual is from their country of origin. Expanding and widely publishing the list of currently accepted documents for applications would make it easier for individuals to obtain and present the requisite information. Lengthen TPS Designation Periods: Currently, TPS is granted or extended in six, twelve, or eighteen- month increments. Lengthening the time frame for TPS designations lessens the uncertainty that many TPS holders face in deciding their next move and encourages stability of status. Simplify Re-Registration: The re-registration process for TPS requires the re-filing of form I-821 and, if work authorization is required, form I-765. USCIS should create a simpler system to re-register TPS holders that requires fewer new forms. Designate TPS to Mauritania and Cameroon: The Biden Administration should extend TPS to Mauritania and Cameroon. These designations would allow individuals from these nations to avail themselves of the benefits of TPS protections and escape the violence in their countries of origin. Cameroonian civilians are caught in a violent conflict involving the government, Anglophone separatists, and Boko Haram. The conflict has internally displaced half a million people. 112 Mauritania’s humanitarian crises have also ensnared many Black Mauritanians. The last country in the world to abolish slavery, Mauritania’s Black population experiences discrimination and persecution in politics, education, and citizenship. 113 As a result, Black Mauritanians forced to return to their country of origin face inhumane treatment. An in-depth review of other countries that would benefit from TPS designation should be undertaken to extend TPS to as many countries as is appropriate, given current conditions. 112 Backgrounder: TPS for Cameroon, CLINIC (Jan. 25, 2021), https://cliniclegal.org/resources/humanitarian-relief/temporary- protected-status-and-deferred-enforced-departure-4. 113 USCRI Backgrounder: Mauritania, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (Mar. 15, 2021), https://refugees.org/uscri- backgrounder-mauritania/.

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

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