March 27 and Temporary Protective Status

Remember our earlier urgent call for your help to sign the petition for Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for our Filipinos in the US last November and December?

Chairperson Imelda Nicolas of the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) emailed a press release that confirms that the TPS approval may be just a signature away! But again, like the start of the campaign last year, this time again, everyone's cooperation IS URGENTLY REQUESTED please!

Everyone is asked to join the campaign to ask the Filipinos (and non-Filipinos) in the US and elsewhere to call, on the 27th of March,  "the US State Department (202-647-6575) and to urge US Secretary of State John Kerry to recommend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Philippines to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."

Please, please remember this date: March 27! To repeat, Thursday March 27 "has been designated as the Community Call to Action Day urging members of the Filipino community (and non-Filipinos!) in the United States (and elsewhere!) 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).

Approval of the TPS "may benefit approximately 200,000 Filipinos in the United States who are currently out of status."

According to the latest press release, "Arnedo Valera of the Migrant Heritage Commission, the Washington D.C. 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!"

Ms. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, national chair of US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG) noted that ""this positive development is the result of our community's unified campaign to lobby the State Department."

We share the call of Mr. Jon Melegrito, spokesperson of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), that  "We must not let up now. We're close but we're not there yet. We need to continue to lobby the US government until TPS is finally approved for the Philippines." 

As we have written and explained months ago, "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."

Please urge everyone, even non-Filipinos, even those outside of the US and regardless of their immigration status, to call the US State Department Comment Line at 202-647-6575 before or by 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)."

After Haiti's deadly earthquake on January 12, 2010, "the US government granted TPS to Haitian citizens in the US extending them temporary legal status in the US for a period of 18 months. This has been extended several times since because Haiti has still not recovered from the damage of the earthquake." Last year, the US government also granted TPS to Syria because of the civil war in that country. In 2013, TPS was also extended to Sudan and South Sudan and in previous years, due to destructive natural calamities, to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Somalia, and Honduras.

"For the sake of our mother country, we urge all Filipinos in the US to save the date and make the time to call the State Department on March 27," said Loida Nicolas-Lewis.

Please, please make TPS for Filipinos in the US a reality! Please encourage Filipinos and other supporters to please remember to call the State Department on March 27!

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