For Immediate Release:
March 4, 2022
Contact:
Mynellies Negrón | (703)585-6727 | mynellies@communicationsshop.us
We Are Home Commends Biden on TPS for Ukraine, Urges TPS for Other Countries in Need
WASHINGTON – We Are Home commends the U.S. government’s decision to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukraine but calls on the Biden administration to grant TPS designation for Cameroon and other countries going through similar humanitarian crises. Now is the time for the Biden administration to equally grant them TPS protection.
Bridgette Gomez, Campaign Director of the We Are Home Campaign, said:
“We welcome and applaud the decision to give TPS designation to people from Ukraine, a country currently going through an unprovoked attack on its people. We are especially grateful that the Department of Homeland Security was able to make the decision in a matter of days after the conflict began. Ukrainians residing in the U.S. deserve protection and should not be forced to return to a country undergoing a war. As we’ve seen in the case of Ukraine, TPS is a tool of compassion, and it should be used generously. Now it is time for the Biden administration to designate TPS for Cameroonians and other countries facing similar humanitarian crises and ongoing armed conflicts as Ukraine. Without TPS protection, Cameroonians will be forced to return to a country in the midst of civil war and where deported immigrants are being targeted for violence. We urge the Biden administration to take immediate action and extend the same protections to Cameroonians. Our moral obligation is to treat people of any race or country equally. The Biden administration has a responsibility to address the racial disparities rampant in our immigration system. It’s time to designate TPS for Cameroon. Every day without action will continue to endanger the lives of thousands.”
TPS was created to protect people whose home countries suffer humanitarian crises, including natural disasters and armed conflicts, that prevent people from returning to their country safely. The civil war in Cameroon is currently escalating. However, earlier this month, a Human Rights Watch report documented how Cameroonian refugees seeking asylum in the U.S. were deported, physically or sexually abused, or assaulted by state agents.
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We Are Home is a nationwide campaign fighting to ensure that “we the people” includes all of us. Our mission is to transform America’s inhumane immigration system. We must undo the damage of the last four years and build a new immigration system that is fair, humane, functional, and centered in racial justice, and respects all people, regardless of race, religion, or birthplace. And we must immediately enact legislation that creates a roadmap to citizenship for every immigrant who calls this country home. We Are Home is co-chaired by Community Change/Community Change Action; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); United Farm Workers (UFW), and United We Dream.