Position Statement on DACA and TPS issued by Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc (FANM)
SOUTH FLORIDA – Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc is calling for bipartisan legislation to ensure that all Temporary Protective Status ( TPS ) holders and DACA recipients can continue contributing to our economy and country and are granted permanent status in the United States.
Any government resolution on immigration that does not include the 300,000 people covered by Temporary Protective Status (TPS), including more than 58,000 Haitian nationals whose TPS the White House cancelled in November 2017, would be morally wrong and cost the American people $3.1 billion dollars to implement.
The people who qualify under the TPS program come from countries that are suffering the effects of conflict, natural disaster or where the state cannot guarantee the safe return of its citizens. TPS holders have raised American children; they are our classmates, co-workers and neighbors.
To deport them back to a “homeland” they would likely find strange, unwelcoming and dangerous would not represent the American spirit of justice, even though it may fit the letter of the law.
Furthermore, TPS holders are important contributors to the American economy. As long-standing members of communities across the U.S., they are a vital share of the current labor force.
TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti Nicaragua and more have added value to the U.S. economy through income and property taxes, Social Security contributions and job creation.
Ending TPS would also be bad for business and would lead to a financial loss of $164 billion.
The immigration framework proposed and authored by anti-immigrant staff in the White House is un-American and unjust to DREAMers and TPS holders, forcing them to choose between their own safety and their family.
After cancelling TPS in November, the Trump proposal leaves communities without a permanent solution and threatens families with separation. This administration has created a social and political crisis that they seem unable or unwilling to fix.
We are urging TPS beneficiaries, faith based communities, labor unions, employers and all people of conscience to contact the White House, Congress, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State and tell them that any immigration framework put forward must include a resolution for DACA recipients and TPS holders from Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua and more. Let them know that we will not continue to support Representatives and Senators that do not fight for legislation that safeguards our families, communities and our human rights.
Contact your Representative/Senator today:
- White House (202) 456-1111
- DHS (202) 282-8495
- US Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 (Call and enter zip code when asked.)
Websites for finding congressional and senate members
- https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members
- http://whoismyrepresentative.com/
- https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Script for your Representative:
As your constituent, I urge you to use your leadership to advocate that any government resolution on immigration must also include the 300,000 people covered by Temporary Protective Status (TPS) from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. Don’t risk breaking up families and deporting people into dangerous conditions. Ending TPS would be bad for US business, bad for taxpayers and bad for the region.
- Script for Senate:
I urge you to use your leadership to advocate that any government resolution on immigration must also include the 300,000 people covered by Temporary Protective Status (TPS) from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua and others. Don’t risk breaking up families and deporting people into dangerous conditions. Ending TPS would be bad for US business, bad for taxpayers and bad for the region.
- Script for the White House:
President Trump, we ask you to extend TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. TPS recipients have been living and working in the United States legally for years–they are our classmates, co-workers, and neighbors. Many of them have U.S. citizen children, contribute to the U.S. labor market and economy, and send money to impoverished communities back in their countries of origin. Ending TPS would be bad for business, bad for the economy, and bad for families.
