WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will end protections for Nepalis who were authorized to remain in the U.S. legally after a 2015 earthquake.
The decision affects about 9,000 Nepalis in the country with temporary protected status (TPS), whose protection will end June 24, 2019.
Nepalis in the U.S. at the time of the earthquake have been protected, and their status was extended most recently in 2016 because of continued instability and devastation. Only a fraction of the approximately 750,000 homes destroyed in 2015 have been replaced, and at least 30 percent of critical public infrastructure remains under repair. Since the earthquake, the country has also suffered from civil unrest and intervening natural disasters.
A group of 23 U.S. senators, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, were among those who urged DHS to extend Nepal’s TPS designation, citing the continued poor conditions.
“This deeply disappointing decision will disrupt the lives of TPS recipients and their families, forcing them to abandon their communities and livelihoods for a nation that remains devastated and unstable,” said Jacinta Ma, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Immigration Forum. “Congress has a responsibility to act in the best interest of our nation by legislating a permanent solution that allows current TPS holders to contribute fully to their communities and economy without fear of deportation.”
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