By Jorge Lopez
Guest column
Recent termination of Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for individuals from Syria and Haiti has created a situation where persons that were legally in this country are now considered undocumented. This makes them unable to legally work and subject to probable detention and deportation. They are in a desperate situation because returning them to their country of origin is dangerous.
According to news outlets, consultations with appropriate government agencies on country-of-origin conditions were not carried out. The consultation would have shown that Syria and Haiti were listed by the U.S. Department of State as places not recommended for travelling for any reason. How can we, in good conscience, send people back to these life-threatening situations?
Additionally troubling is that the Supreme Court has ruled that a provision of the TPS statute prevents the courts from weighing in on any failures to follow procedures. This creates a lack of checks and balances.
Here are a few ideas that could rectify some of these issues:
- Reclassify the status as just “Protective Status.” This would eliminate any determination based on a perceived length of time.
- Make the termination of protective status designation dependent on official U.S. Department of State travel designations.
- Allow the Supreme Court to weigh in on whether procedures were properly followed.
These simple adjustments could make safety and the protection of human life the priority.
I encourage everyone to reach out to Congress and ask that they propose legislation to address these concerns — and soon. The next countries to be considered are Venezuela, Ethiopia, Burma, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
This current situation is just one more aspect highlighting our need to overhaul our immigration policies and make them more humane.
(Jorge Lopez is a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville and is a candidate preparing for the permanent diaconate.)
