U.S. Senators urge to re-designate and extend TPS for Yemenis

U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D MI) are urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to reverse her recent decision ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni nationals in the U.S.

In a letter to Noem, the senators stress that terminating TPS will force hundreds of Yemeni nationals, including a significant number in Michigan, to risk their lives by returning to a country facing an ongoing armed conflict, economic collapse, food insecurity, and the breakdown of essential services.

“Yemeni nationals currently present in the United States should not be forced to return,” wrote the senators. “Extending and re-designating Yemen for TPS would enable Yemeni nationals currently in the United States, including business owners, workers, students, taxpayers, and community members who contribute positively to local economies and civic life, to be able to remain safely in the United States and to work legally to support themselves and their families.”

The senators continued in their letter: “Yemen was initially designated for TPS on September 3, 2015, because forcing Yemeni nationals to return to Yemen would pose a serious threat to their personal safety due to the ongoing armed conflict. The Department of Homeland Security has either extended, or extended and re-designated, Yemen for TPS multiple times.”

“We urge you to extend and re-designate Yemen for TPS to protect Yemeni nationals in the United States without delay – in accordance with the law, facts on the ground, and America’s longstanding commitment to humane immigration policy.” the senators concluded.