Day of Action at Supreme Court To Defend TPS

WASHINGTON, April 24 – Hundreds of immigrant-rights defenders and community members will converge next Wednesday, April 29, on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court for a day of action and advocacy for the 1.3 million people whose lives and futures depend on Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the humanitarian program for immigrants from strife-torn countries.

That is the day the Supreme Court is to hear arguments in two consolidated cases challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate TPS for more than 350,000 immigrants from Haiti and Syria. If the Administration wins, it would be free to eliminate the program entirely – not just for Haitians and Syrians but for all of the people from 17 countries who have been living and working in the U.S. under TPS. All could swiftly lose their lawful immigration status and risk being arrested and deported back to countries torn by political and economic instability and natural disasters.

The Court will hear arguments in Mullin v. Dahlia Doe and Trump v. Miot, cases in which the Administration is asking to make TPS decision-making unreviewable by the courts. For more information about the case, see this fact-sheet.

A program and rally will feature speeches, music and testimonies from people directly affected by the Administration’s cruel and unlawful TPS terminations. TPS beneficiaries will speak about what is at stake for them and their families, and highlight the significant and lasting contributions made to this country by TPS holders, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades.

The TPS program, enacted in 1990 under President George H.W. Bush, has benefited millions of immigrants – and has also been highly beneficial to the United States. A report released this week by FWD.US supports this. “New data highlights that TPS holders contribute more than $29 billion annually to the U.S. economy and pay nearly $8 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes,” the report says. “Since 2001, TPS holders have contributed an estimated $262 billion to the U.S. economy, including roughly $20 billion to Social Security.” For broader context on the program, see FWD.us’s five-point TPS explainer.

WHAT: News conference and rally

WHERE: Supreme Court of the United States, 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC

WHEN: April 29, 9:30 am

WHO: Members of the National TPS Alliance, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), CARECEN-LA, Haitian Bridge Alliance, We Are CASA, Committees United for Status and Protection (CUSP), International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP), at the UCLA School of Law, ACLU of Northern California, Muslim Advocates.

Visuals: Live Music, Art, Posters