For Immediate Release: November 17, 2021
Contact: press@wearehome.us

We Are Home reiterates call on the Biden Administration to Protect Central Americans through Temporary Protected Status Designations  

Washington, D.C. – One year ago, Hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Central America, causing flooding and landslides that devastated the region and contributed to a humanitarian crisis. A year later, communities in Central America are still reeling from the effects of the twin hurricanes, other effects of climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week, immigrant rights leaders mobilized for a week of action to reiterate the call on the Biden Administration to immediately designate Guatemala and redesignate Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to protect people in the U.S. from being deported to countries that are not able to safely receive them and to help prevent further destabilization of the region.

Bridgette Gomez, campaign director of the We Are Home campaign, said:

“One year after the devastation of hurricanes Eta and Iota, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador are continuing to confront dire humanitarian conditions and are unsafe for return. The Biden Administration should take immediate action to designate these countries for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to help families and communities in the U.S. and support the stabilization of Central America. Existing TPS designations for Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador are insufficient to protect those in the U.S. who have been impacted by the hurricanes, and they omit Guatemala altogether. The Administration has the authority to take action now, and they should use it.”   

Earlier this year, immigrant rights leaders in the We Are Home campaign wrote to the Biden Administration calling for action to designate Guatemala for TPS and re-designate Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador for TPS.

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We Are Home is a nationwide campaign to fight for immigrant communities on three fronts: prioritizing and demanding a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in America; a moratorium and overhaul of interior enforcement; and broad affirmative relief from deportation. We Are Home is co-chaired by Community Change/Community Change Action; National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)/Care in Action; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); United Farm Workers/UFW Foundation; and United We Dream.