In recent days, news about the deportation of Liberians from the United States currently benefiting from the Deferred Enforced Departure, or DED, continue to emerge, sparking heartbreaking pains and worries not only for Liberians living in the U.S. but back home.
According to reports from major cities across America, Liberians are making a last-ditch push to save a little-known deportation reprieve program, lobbying on Capitol Hill and issuing pleads to local employers, to have an extension unto the program.
We believed that this fear is alive and requires not only the full involvement of Liberians in the U.S. and at back home but the political and diplomatic will of national government to mitigate this looming embarrassment.
As the clock turns towards deadline date on Saturday, March 31, 2018, an estimated 4,200 Liberians currently under the DED would face deportation if nothing is done promptly to address the situation.
In reference to the Holy book of the Bible which says, “work while it is day that night cometh when no man shall work”. Yes! this is actually true that the government of Liberia with such huge anticipated return of Liberians from the United States under such condition needs to urgently begin the erection of transit homes to ease the relocation of many who had thought to have been living in the U.S. for more then three decades with no trance of family members back home due to long absence and repeated civil wars and loss of contacts with family members in Liberia.
Additionally, we say hats off to U.S. Congressmen Rep. Erik Paulsen, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Democratic U.S. Reps. from Minnesota Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Betty McCollum and Collin Peterson, who continue to lead challenging efforts through a bicameral letter, to President Donald Trump to have the Deferred Enforced Departure, or DED extended or granting of permanent residential status to Liberians under such condition.
While we are aware that the Trump administration has signaled a shift on temporary reprieve programs, announcing in recent months that it will wind down TPS for Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador. Officials say they are restoring the program to its original intent: to briefly harbor natives of countries rocked by natural disasters and civil strife which Liberia no longer enjoys as the country has experienced uninterrupted peace for the last 10 years, yet, we still believe that current economic constrains of the country would just be escalated with tons of Liberians expected to be deported come March 31st.
