Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska has joined hundreds of immigration, human and civil rights, business, labor, religious and education organizations in respectfully requesting that the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security designate Guatemala for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is coordinating this effort.
More than 100 people died and nearly 200 are missing after the Volcan de Fuego volcano erupted on June 3, leaving environmental devastation in its wake. The death toll is expected to rise much higher, into the thousands, due to the undercounting of indigenous populations that lived near the volcano. The eruption also forced the evacuation of 13,000 Guatemalans, compromised electrical grids and destroyed major roadways and bridges.
Designating Guatemala for TPS would potentially allow approximately 525,000 Guatemalan nationals who currently live in the United States to register with the federal government, undergo background checks and avoid being returned to dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions.
TPS was established by Congress to provide the U.S. Executive Branch the authority to defer deportation for nationals who cannot safely return to their countries. Environmental disaster is one of three criteria that qualify nationals for TPS; Guatemala satisfies all three TPS conditions.
There are approximately 525,000 Guatemalan nationals in the U.S. who could potentially receive protection under a TPS designation for the country. More than 70% of them have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade.
TPS has strict criminal background criteria that disqualify applicants based on felony and misdemeanor convictions. The status requires applicants to register with the government, provide their biometric information and submit to a criminal background check.
The signing organizations believe TPS would be an appropriate use of the authority granted by Congress, as well as a critical tool to enhance our nation’s security and safety.
