Dear Member of Congress:
As one of more than a million MomsRising supporters across the country, I urge you to act immediately to protect the 320,000 immigrants who have been living and working in the U.S. legally for an average of 19 years under the TPS program, which provides temporary legal status for immigrants from countries that have been devastated by war, natural disaster, famine, or epidemic.
The Trump administration has already announced the end of TPS for Sudan and are likely to end it for hundreds of thousands of other immigrants. This means that these hard-working men and women, many of whom have U.S. citizen children, will be sent back to countries that are unsafe or have poor conditions, putting their lives at risk.
Mothers and fathers should not have to make the heartbreaking decision of whether to leave their U.S. citizen children with neighbors and friends if they are forced to leave the country, or whether to bring their children to dangerous and unfamiliar countries.
TPS holders are just like any other member of our community, paying taxes, working hard, living peacefully and raising their families. In particular, studies show that TPS holders contribute greatly to key industries such as health and childcare. There would a profound impact on the country as a whole if essential workers were removed from their jobs.
While TPS holders are in every sector of our economy, TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti are key contributors to the following industries: construction, restaurant and other food services, landscaping services, child care, and grocery stores. [1] In fact, if our economy loses all of our TPS employees, it would cost the U.S. economy $164 billion over 10 years.[2]
As moms, dads and advocates for our families, we urge you to act now to make sure that 273,000 U.S. citizen children don't lose their parents and family members. We call on you to hold true to our pledge that when we say “Liberty and justice for all,” we really do mean all.
Sincerely