FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2021
CONTACT
Jeralyn Cave
Jeralyn.cave@gmail.com
412-682-0798
Immigrant Rights Coalition Urges Congress to Pass H.R. 6
Communities United for Status & Protection Urge Senate to Pass
American Dream and Promise Act to Provide Permanent Status to TPS Holders
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, a bill that would allow immigrant youth and individuals with Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to become Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) if they have lived continuously in the U.S. for three years and meet certain criteria. Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP), a national coalition of grassroots immigrant organizations working to secure permanent status and protection for TPS holders, submitted a Statement for the Congressional Record [a]to the Committee urging the Senate to pass The American Dream and Promise Act, which includes a provision to grant a permanent pathway to citizenship for TPS holders and was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support.
According to CUSP in their Statement to the Committee, “Many TPS holders have lived in the U.S. for decades. They have continued to serve as frontline workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and would be integral to any infrastructure efforts undertaken in the country moving forward, and they contribute significantly to the economy and social fabric of the country.”
“I am a Sudanese TPS Holder, and I have been here for 20 years. I have never lived in my home country, nor can I live anywhere else since this is the only place I’ve ever really ever known. We need a real solution!” Ahmed Osman, a Sudanese TPS Holder, New York resident, and African Communities Together member
“I own a transportation company called Sherpa Transportation and my wife works in a restaurant. COVID was hard on both of us, but I feel that I have achieved my American dream. My son attends Colorado State University and thankfully, we have been able to continue both of our work and the business,” Nabin Sherpa, a Nepali TPS holder and Adhikaar member living in Colorado. “I don’t know how long I will be able to stay in this country after contributing my 23 years to the United States. We cannot live in this way anymore and that is why TPS is not enough.”
More from CUSP’s statement:
“In spite of their tenuous immigration status, TPS holders put their lives on the line in service to their adopted country while working in healthcare, food service, manufacturing, transportation, and more. As a result of their essential employment, TPS holders were more likely to contract and die from COVID, yet their efforts helped keep the economy running. At risk to their own health, and in spite of uncertainty, TPS holders worked to ensure access to essential services and kept the economy moving.”
“Congress must not allow the uprooting of hundreds of thousands of these immigrants who have kept America safe and healthy during one of the nation’s darkest moments, but should work to provide them with a path to permanent status so they can truly thrive. The time is now. Americans across the political spectrum support a path to citizenship for TPS holders. This is why CUSP urgently calls on the Senate to pass H.R. 6 to provide much-needed stability to the nation’s immigrant communities.”
Read the full Statement for the Record here.
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Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) is a collaborative of grassroots immigrant community organizations working together to win permanent status for our members and communities, and build a more inclusive immigrant rights movement that centers the needs and experiences of African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, and API immigrants.
The UndocuBlack Network (UBN), founded in 2016, is a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people that fosters community, facilitates access to resources and contributes to transforming the realities of our people so we are thriving and living our fullest lives. UBN has chapters in New York City, the DC/MD/VA area, and Los Angeles, CA.
Adhikaar (Nepali: rights) is a New York-based non-profit, organizing the Nepali-speaking community to promote human rights and social justice for all. We are a women-led workers’ center and community center focused on workers’ rights, immigration rights, access to affordable healthcare and language justice. We organize the Nepali-speaking community to create broader social change; build coalitions on advocacy campaigns that address our community's needs; center women and the most impacted communities in our leadership; engage members in participatory action research; and implement community education, workplace development training, and support services.
African Communities Together (ACT) is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide. ACT empowers African immigrants to integrate socially, get ahead economically, and engage civically. We connect African immigrants to critical services, help Africans develop as leaders, and organize our communities on the issues that matter.
Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization based in Southern California that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and connects migrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women, LGBTQAI+ individuals and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. Since 2015, HBA has provided services to asylum seekers and other migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, in U.S. detention, and during U.S. immigration proceedings.
National Network for Arab American Community (NNAAC) is a national consortium of independent Arab American community-based organizations. The Network’s primary mission is to build the capacity of Arab American non-profit organizations that focus on the needs and issues impacting their local community while collectively addressing those issues nationally