Nepalese refugees have a year to leave U.S. says Homeland Security

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Nepalese refugees ordered to leave U.S.

HAVING TARGETED Cambodians, Vietnamese and Indonesians for deportation, the Department of Homeland Security is expanding its efforts towards Nepalese refugees who are in this country because their country is still reeling from a 7.8 earthquake in 2015.
DHS announced Thursday (April 26) that it will terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Nepal in one year on June 24, 2019. At that time, approximately 9,000 TPS holders will lose their work authorization and be at risk of being swept up in ICE’s aggressive deportation raids.

“The devastating damage in Nepal and the challenges its government faces to rebuild clearly meet the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstance’ required to extend Temporary Protected Status to Nepalese nationals,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. 

“Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen’s decision to terminate Nepal’s TPS designation is another heartless example of Secretary Nielsen’s attacks on immigrants and vulnerable communities.”

Ironically, it was three years ago on April 25, that Nepal was struck by a massive earthquake. Over 9,000 people lost their lives, another 22,000 were severely injured, and nearly 3 million people were thrust into a humanitarian crisis. The damages amounted to over 50% of the country’s annual gross domestic product.

Critics assert that the DHS directive continues the Trump administration's overall effort to remove people of color from the U.S. by cutting the use of temporary protected status, a system designed to allow refugees to stay legally in the U.S. rather than send them home while their country is ravaged by crises.

Nielsen said the Nepalese with TPS status will have one year to either prepare to leave the U.S. or find other means to stay before the protections expire.

Under Trump, DHS has been aggressive in ending TPS categories for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, a majority of whom have lived in the US for upwards of 15 to 20 years and whose countries are still in dire straits. 

The department has used the same reasoning to target refugees from Haiti and El Salvador among other countries.

The justification from the administration for ending the protections has been that by law, when the conditions from the original disaster that triggered the protections have improved, they must expire. The problem is that DHS might not have all the necessary information available to make that subjective judgement.

“Three years later, over half of Nepal’s water infrastructure still requires repair and over 90 percent of those who were originally displaced by the earthquake are still living in temporary shelters," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif. "The failure of the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to fully analyze the perilous and unstable conditions in Nepal is irresponsible and inhumane.

“Let me be clear – this is a failure of the entire administration and is clearly a way for President Trump to hasten his mass deportation agenda at the expense of innocent lives," says Rep. Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
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"This administration continues to ignore humanitarian concerns in its decision to end TPS programs. The administration has been systematically terminating TPS programs as part of a larger agenda to restrict immigration and increase deportations.," stated Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

The civil rights coalition  urges Congress to step up and pass legislation — specifically the American Promise Act of 2017 (H.R. 4253) and the SECURE Act (S. 2144) — to provide a permanent solution for all TPS recipients.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono denounced the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepalese nationals living in the United States following the devastating earthquake in April 2015 that killed more than 9,000 people and rendered thousands more displaced and homeless.

“The devastating damage in Nepal and the challenges its government faces to rebuild clearly meet the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstance’ required to extend Temporary Protected Status to Nepalese nationals,” Senator Hirono said. “Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen’s decision to terminate Nepal’s TPS designation is another heartless example of Secretary Nielsen’s attacks on immigrants and vulnerable communities.”

Last week, Senator Hirono led 23 Senators in urging Secretary Nielsen and Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan to extend Nepal’s TPS status. 

Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced its decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal. The decision will impact approximately 9,000 Nepalese who were granted TPS status to reside in the United States in the aftermath of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Nepal in 2015.

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), released the following statement:

“The Trump Administration’s decision to terminate TPS for Nepal is not only heartless, but it is a slap in the face to the 9,000 Nepali TPS recipients who are still working to rebuild their country in the aftermath of an earthquake that devastated Nepal in 2015.

“Three years later, over half of Nepal’s water infrastructure still requires repair and over 90 percent of those who were originally displaced by the earthquake are still living in temporary shelters. The failure of the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to fully analyze the perilous and unstable conditions in Nepal is irresponsible and inhumane.

“Let me be clear – this is a failure of the entire administration and is clearly a way for President Trump to hasten his mass deportation agenda at the expense of innocent lives. In Congress, I will continue to fight for a permanent legislative solution to protect TPS recipients and allow them to remain in the United States.”

LOS ANGELES — Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Nepal in one year on June 24, 2019. At that time, approximately 9,000 TPS holders will lose their work authorization and be at risk of being swept up in ICE’s aggressive deportation raids. 

 Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, issues the following statement: 

 “Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice) urges the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider its decision to terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Nepal. The government’s plan to strip TPS from Nepali immigrants is cruel and unnecessary. We encourage TPS holders to contact attorneys to see if they qualify for other types of relief. 

 TPS was granted to Nepali nationals after a deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015 caused major destruction. Nepal has not yet recovered from this earthquake as 75 percent of the infrastructure that was destroyed has yet to be rebuilt — impeding access to basic needs such as housing, health care, education, and food and water security. 

 This administration continues to ignore humanitarian concerns in its decision to end TPS programs. The administration has been systematically terminating TPS programs as part of a larger agenda to restrict immigration and increase deportations. Advancing Justice urges Congress to step up and pass legislation — specifically the American Promise Act of 2017 (H.R. 4253) and the SECURE Act (S. 2144) — to provide a permanent solution for all TPS recipients.”