CAMPAIGNING FOR A TPS(Temporary Protected Status) FOR THE PHILIPPINES SAN FRANCISCO, USA – Save the date. Thursday, March 27 has been designated as the Community Call to Action Day urging members of the Filipino community in the United States, US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam to call the US State Department (202-647-6575) and urge US Secretary of State John Kerry to recommend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Philippines to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The March 27 Call for Action was agreed to by a coalition of Filipino American community groups in a national telephone conference call held on March 18 to discuss the status of the campaign to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the Philippines, a move that may benefit approximately 200,000 Filipinos in the United States, CNMI and Guam who are currently out of status. (READ: Pinoys in New York push for Temporary Protected Stats for PH) Arnedo Valera of the Migrant Heritage Commission, the Washington DC group which initiated the call for TPS for the Philippines last November, reported that Philippine Desk Officer David Arulanantham at the US Department of State confirmed that the favorable recommendation for TPS for the Philippines is now on the desk of Secretary John Kerry, awaiting his review and signature. “This positive development is the result of our community’s unified campaign to lobby the State Department,” said Atty. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, national chair of US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), who moderated the March 18 national conference call. “We must not let up now. Were close but were not there yet. We need to continue to lobby the US government until TPS is finally approved for the Philippines,” added Jon Melegrito, spokesman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). Under US immigration law, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of State, may designate a country, or portions of a country, for TPS when conditions exist - such as an ongoing armed conflict or an environmental disaster in the country - that temporarily prevents the country’s nationals in the US from returning safely. Once a country receives TPS designation, nationals of that country residing in the U.S. would not be deportable and may receive temporary legal status that allows them to receive employment authorization and even permission to travel abroad. Community groups represented at the conference call were urged to ask everyone they know, even non-Filipinos, regardless of their immigration status in the US, CNMI and Guam to call the US State Department Comment Line at 202-647-6575 on Thursday, March 27. People can call that message board even before March 27 but an extra effort should be made to call in on March 27. After a voice message is heard, press: 4 for operator, then ask for the comment line, and then leave the following suggested message: “Temporary Protected Status for the Philippines must be designated. I urge Secretary of State John Kerry to recommend to the Department of Homeland Security that TPS be designated for the Philippines. My name is (say name) from (say city and state).” Source: rappler
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 22:16:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015