Author: Richard Gonzales / Source: NPR.org
President Trump is extending for one year a program that gives Liberians protected status from deportation. The president’s action affects some 4,000 Liberians living in the U.S.
The policy change, announced in a presidential memorandum Thursday, temporarily reverses one of the administration’s hard-line immigration stances.
Last year Trump said that conditions in post-civil war Liberia had improved and that he would end a program called Deferred Enforced Departure with a “wind-down” period expiring March 31, 2019.But now, he said, “upon further reflection and review,” he has decided “it is in the foreign policy interest of the United States” to give Liberians another year, or until March 30, 2020, to stay in the United States. He added that the overall situation in West Africa “remains concerning.”
“The reintegration of DED beneficiaries into Liberian civil and political life will be a complex task, and an unsuccessful transition could strain United States-Liberian relations and undermine Liberia’s post-civil war strides toward democracy and political stability,” he said.
Liberian leaders in the U.S. and immigrant advocates praised the announcement and called on Congress for a permanent resolution.
“The Trump administration’s decision to extend DED…
The post Trump Extends Deportation Protection For Liberians In The U.S. appeared first on FeedBox.