Rep. Maxwell Frost: “We have faith that President Biden will rise to the occasion on this and make the right decision. As a member of Congress, we will continue to push him, especially here in the State of Florida, to do the right thing.”

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Click here for a recording of the press call.

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WASHINGTON, DC –  With a looming June 22nd hearing in the Ramos v. Nielsen case, which could determine the future of the Temporary Protected Status program for Nicaragua and other nations, Congressman Maxwell Frost, faith leaders and immigrant advocates gathered today for a press call held by the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC). The speakers called on President Biden to act urgently and use his authority to redesignate TPS for Nicaraguan nationals already living and working in the U.S.

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With thousands of deeply rooted Nicaraguan families in the United States – many of whom are an integral part of our communities and the economy — and deteriorating in-country conditions, leaders are calling on the Biden Administration to protect these immigrant families rather than forcing them back to unsafe and unstable home countries.

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“We understand that we need real reform in this country as far as our immigration system is concerned, so that way there is a speedy path to citizenship for all TPS and DACA recipients — and all people in this country. But we also have to deal with the situation going on right now,” said Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10). “And what we know is that the situation in Nicaragua calls both from a political standpoint and an economic standpoint, calls for the administration to [redesignate TPS for Nicaragua]. And so we have faith that President Biden will rise to the occasion on this and make the right decision. As a member of Congress, we will continue to push him, especially here in the State of Florida, to do the right thing.”

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“As the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants, who fled from a war-torn country, the circumstances that Nicaragua finds itself in today are more than just deep and bloody echoes from the past,” said Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, Federal Campaign Lead at FLIC and the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants. “Nicaragua is facing a socio-political crisis that has led to a humanitarian crisis that left even United Nations investigators stunned. The attacks on civil society and the organizations that help them continue will not stop. It is not safe for Nicaraguans, especially those who were living in the United States, to return and they desperately need protections. Now, more than ever, President Biden needs to redesignate TPS for Nicaragua.”

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“Horrors have been recounted to us from the conflict-ridden country of Nicaragua. It is imperative from a humanitarian perspective that the Biden Administration redesignate TPS for Nicaragua. So far this fiscal year, Nicaragua is the fourth largest nationality deported behind Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Given that our current immigration system is broken, with more than 2.2 million cases backlogged as of this April and growing, two thirds of asylum seekers are unable to procure legal representation, and so three quarters are ultimately denied asylum,” said Rev. Dr. Marvin Wiser, Associate Pastor at Eden United Church of Christ. “There needs to be additional measures to protect those from threats from their country of origin. It is the right thing to do.”

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“Church properties have been confiscated and of course, in those overt attacks against the church who’s really being attacked are the poor, because the Catholic Church is there so widely and generously serving the elderly, the sick, the incapacitated orphans and, and so many different groups of poor people. So we have a very poor country — Nicaragua — that has been made completely unlivable by the current dictatorship of Daniel Ortega. We have to help people from there who are already here in our country,” said Father Wayne, Priest of the Diocese of Gaylord and Co-founder of the Justice and Peace Advocacy Center in Traverse City. “As several voices have clearly said already: Please, please extend TPS, Temporarily Protected Status, for people from Nicaragua here in the United States. It’s unfortunate that we here in the US don’t easily hear news happening in Nicaragua, which leads many people to think that ‘Oh, everything must be fine.’ We need to get the word out and extend TPS — it’s a must.”

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Deteriorating Conditions: Less than five days ago, Reuters reported that the increasingly authoritarian Nicaraguan government froze the accounts of various Catholic institutions, accusing them of laundering money and treason. The freezing of funds that belong to the Catholic Church is yet another attack in a series of intimidation tactics by the Nicaraguan government. Earlier this month, Secretary Blinken released the 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom where over 100 attacks were reported on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

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Alianza Americas is the only transnational organization rooted in Latino immigrant communities in the United States focused on improving the quality of life of all people in the U.S.-Mexico-Central America migration corridor.  As a network of Latino and Caribbean immigrants, Alianza Americas is working for change in the U.S. while also promoting a more stable, healthy, democratic and safer conditions in the countries of origin of their members.

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.