IPNews-Monrovia, Liberia-26 March 2018: Thousands of Liberians under the Temporary Protection Status and Deferred Enforced Departure or DED programs are to hold street rally in a few hours from now at the U.S. Capitol calling for an extension of a program that gives thousands of Liberians legal status in the U.S.
Both programs which had be extended seven times wait to see over 4,000 Liberians deported on deadline date March 31, 2018 at 12:00 mid-night.
The Deferred Enforced Departure or DED program, which was extended by both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, currently holds about a total of four thousand, Two Hundred (4,200) Liberians nationally who were granted the program over three decades.
Rally organizer Abdullah Kiatamba says many of them are part of Minnesota’s large Liberian community.
“We just want to call a rally to show where our community stands on the plight of our brothers and sisters that will be negatively impacted,” he said. “We just want to make a public case. We’ve engaged lawmakers. We just feel that it was important.”
Liberians in the DED program have had protected status since 1991. The protections took effect amid the country’s first civil war.
The President of the United States has sole authority to extend the DED program.
The Minnesota Congressional delegation has called on President Trump to renew the program. But it’s unclear which way the president is leaning. Organizers are expecting more than a five thousand people to attend the rally.
