From the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (http://www.interfaithimmigration.org):
The administration has terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Nicaragua, effective January 5, 2019. The administration also was unable to decide whether to extend TPS for Honduras, resulting in an automatic six-month extension until July 5, 2018. DHS signaled the possibility that the TPS designation for Honduras might also be terminated at the end of the six-month automatic extension. This decision illustrates the administration’s prioritization of anti-immigrant sentiment over an honest assessment of in-country conditions. It also shows the cruelty and inhumanity of DHS to force TPS holders to live with greater uncertainty and fear.
It is critical this decision is met with a swift and powerful response by our elected leaders and community members. Our Senators and Representatives need to hear that their constituents stand with TPS holders and call on Congress to ensure TPS holders are protected from deportation. Take 6 minutes to call your Members of Congress (2 minutes per Member) right now and make your voice heard!
Urge Your Members of Congress to Support TPS Holders and #SaveTPS!
(202) 224-3121
Please call 3x for your 2 Senators and 1 Representative; alternatively, you can call directly—find contact information:
- Senator Robert Casey: http://casey.senate.gov
- Senator Pat Toomey: http://toomey.senate.gov
- Your Representative: http://www.house.gov
Sample Script: “I’m your constituent from [City, State]. As a person of faith and a constituent, I stand in solidarity with my immigrant neighbors, support Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and strongly condemn the administration’s termination of TPS for Nicaragua and am concerned that TPS will only be extended for six-months given the administration’s lack of action. TPS is designed to protect people from being returned to harm and is extended based on country conditions. More than 300,000 of our neighbors are TPS holders from these countries, who contribute billions of dollars to our economy. Nearly 273,000 U.S.-citizen children have a parent with TPS. Tearing apart families and devastating communities is immoral and wrong. I urge [the Senator or Representative] to do everything they can to ensure that the administration reinstates TPS for Nicaragua; extends TPS for Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti for at least another 18 months; and supports legislation that would ensure stability for TPS recipients who have lived here for many years, would face extreme hardship if deported, or are otherwise eligible for permanent residence.”
DHS has yet to reach a decision on TPS for Haiti or El Salvador. Violence, weak institutions, and a lack of human rights protections in Central America, as well as food, housing, and public health crises in Haiti persist. As people of faith, we have an urgent call to stand with TPS holders and tell the administration to do everything they can to see TPS protections extended and pass a permanent legislative solution.
Here are other ways you can take action!
Join the Prayer Chain and Share on Social Media: Record a video of yourself holding a printed, filled out #Faith4TPS sign. Upload your video to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook with the hashtag #Faith4TPS and tag the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (@interfaithimm). Don’t forget to tweet at your Members of Congress and @realDonaldTrump. Click here for sample social media posts and here for graphics.
Plan #Faith4TPS Events: Host an interfaith vigil, educate your faith community, and organize other events to lift up the importance of TPS. Local actions are a great way to amplify voices of TPS holders in the media, and don’t forget to invite your national, state, and local officials. Click here to view our Interfaith Toolkit to Defend TPS to learn more.
Write for Media: Elevate the public call by publishing a letter to the editor ASAP condemning the termination of TPS for Nicaragua, and reports of possible TPS terminations for Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti, urging the administration to extend these designations for at least 18 months, and calling on Congress to pass a permanent solution for TPS holders. Click here for sample op-eds, LTEs, and other resources on how to pitch and place media pieces.
Learn and Share Resources: Visit bit.ly/Faith4TPSMiniToolkit for our Interfaith “Mini-Toolkit” to learn more.
For more information on our faithful call to stand with TPS holders, please visit: interfaithimmigration.org/TPS. Please spread the word, and thank you for all your work and support!
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