Last week MIRA staff joined a bus of passionate Massachusetts advocates to travel to Washington D.C. to support immigrant families affected by the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and Syria. Organized by National TPS committee, the Massachusetts TPS committee and La Colaborativa, the 400+ mile journey was full of community care, moments of deep reflection and individuals from all walks of life who were eager to raise their voices and urge policy makers to defend our TPS holders and immigrant neighbors who have contributed greatly to our economy and society.
Hundreds of advocates from across the nation rallied in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 29th with bright posters & LIVE music to show solidarity and share their personal stories. TPS holders from Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti and Nepal shared their fears of how this decision will negatively impact their families and their future. Listen to their testimonies here. TPS holders pay 7.8 billion in taxes, fill critical labor shortages in key industries such as healthcare & transportation and are active entrepreneurs of small businesses in communities across the country. Terminating TPS would not only end legal work authorization but it would also separate families and destabilize the U.S. economy. Read FWD.us new report about the economic contributions of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) here.
We also had the opportunity to hear from the TPS legal team, who represented Syrian & Haitian TPS holders in the Mullin v. Doe (Syria) and Trump v. Miot (Haiti) consolidated cases. They emphasized how proud they were of our plaintiffs who bravely testified and their faith that we will have a positive outcome in the next few weeks. Listen to the TPS legal team’s thoughts here.
The Supreme Court’s ruling will decide if the administration can legally end these protections for Haitian and Syrian nationals, affecting not only these groups of TPS holders but the 1.3 million individuals from the other 17 TPS designated countries. The final ruling is set to be determined in late June or early July.
Thank you to the National TPS Alliance, the Massachusetts TPS committee and La Colaborativa for beautifully organizing this trip and taking great care of our fellow advocates. Thank you to all of the organizers at the rally, including the Haitian Bridge, the TPS legal team and all of the brave speakers who shared their testimonies. We also extend our gratitude to Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune for joining us on the journey to the Supreme Court and keeping our hope alive and Senator Lydia Edwards for your encouragement and support.