For Immediate Release: March 27, 2018
Contact: Jareyah Bradley, jareyah@balestramedia.com, (908) 242-4822
Today, the Trump Administration made the decision to terminate Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberia. There are currently approximately 4,000 Liberians with DED living and working in the U.S. who will be affected by this decision, most of whom have been here for decades.
Like Temporary Protected Status (TPS), DED gives individuals the ability to live and work in the United States for specific periods of time free from the threat of deportation. Unlike TPS, the discretion to extend or terminate the designation does not lie with the Department of Homeland Security, but squarely with the President, as part of his power to conduct foreign relations.
Said Amanda Baran, policy consultant at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center:
“The Immigrant Legal Resource Center condemns Donald Trump’s decision, in which he has signaled once again his lack of compassion for immigrants, especially Black immigrants. We stand with Liberian and Black immigrant communities in opposition to this cruel decision.”
Liberia was originally designated for TPS in 1991, due to war and unsafe conditions. In 2007, President George W. Bush terminated TPS for Liberia but allowed recipients to apply for DED, which since then has been extended roughly every 18 months. President Obama extended DED twice, the last time through March 31, 2018.