Contact: Victoria Villamil
Email: vvillamil@fanm.org
Phone: 786-383-7595
September 14, 2020
Miami, FL----- Today, September 14, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled to lift the preliminary injunction in the case of Ramos v. Nielsen. The court’s decision does not impact TPS holders’ status in 2020. TPS recipients cannot face deportation this year and their work authorizations are still valid. The earliest the terminations could go into effect is March 2021 for those from Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan and November 2021 for those from El Salvador.
Congress created TPS in the Immigration Act of 1990. It grants protection from deportation to immigrants from certain countries experiencing natural disasters, armed conflict, or other dangerous conditions. On October 3, 2018, the Federal Court in Ramos v. Nielsen ordered a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump’s decision to terminate TPS for individuals from El Salvador, Haiti, Sudan, and Nicaragua. Crista Ramos is the lead plaintiff in Ramos v. Nielsen. She is a 15 year old high school student whose mother is a TPS holder. Attorneys argued that terminating TPS was illegal and violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the prohibition on race discrimination in the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. Family Action Network Movement (FANM) stands firmly with Crista Ramos and strongly condemns the court’s decision.
Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM), stated, "This is terrible news! The court’s decision today leaves nearly 300,000 TPS holders vulnerable to one of the biggest mass deportations in our country’s history. These hardworking taxpayers, many of whom have resided in the United States for over twenty years, could be forced to return during a global pandemic to vulnerable nations still struggling from political turmoil, violence, and unrest. In addition, their over 275,000 U.S. citizen children would have to make the heart wrenching decision whether to leave their home or be separated from their families. How can we be a nation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if we continue to allow for family separation?! How can we profess to be a nation of immigrants if we continually disdain and disregard those who are black and brown? We demand U.S Senators to rebuke this disgusting decision and to immediately pass “The Dream and Promise Act” passed by the House of Representatives in 2019 protecting TPS recipients. Since 1990, TPS holders have only been protected temporarily. They are completely unprotected now. Congress must protect them! We must all protect them! It is our moral duty as Americans and as people.”
Family Action Network Movement (FANM) formerly known as Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc)/ Haitian Women of Miami is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to the social, economic, financial and political empowerment of low to moderate-income families.
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