Providence, RI – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s decision to terminate Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberia, with an effective date of March 31, 2019 for Liberians living in the United States.
“President Trump’s decision to terminate the protected status for Liberians living in the United States will needlessly split apart families and send people who came here seeking safety back to a country that still faces serious challenges. Over several decades in Rhode Island, hardworking Liberian refugees have made important contributions to the communities they now call home. While the one-year delay provides some reprieve, Congress should end the years of uncertainty these families have endured since fleeing a brutal civil war by passing our legislation to grant them a path to citizenship.”
Senator Whitehouse is a cosponsor of Senator Jack Reed’s Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act, which would create a path to citizenship for Liberian refugees.
###
