Service Employees International Issues Statement on Temporary Protected Status for Nepalese

WASHINGTON, April 26 -- The Service Employees International Union issued the following statement by Rocio Saenz, international executive vice president and iAmerica Action president, regarding the Trump administration's decision to end the temporary protected status for nearly 9,000 Nepalese who have lived legally in the U.S. following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed 9,000 people and left 2.8 million people homeless:

"By ending TPS for Nepal this administration is continuing to show that its priorities lie with enriching corporations and the wealthy, not building a stronger America where all communities can thrive. Instead of passing a permanent solution for DACA and TPS holders from Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, and Nepal, Republicans spent billions on tax giveaways for their buddies and tried to rip away healthcare from tens of millions of people. Now over one million immigrants are vulnerable to President Trump's deportation machine. Many are parents to U.S. citizen children meaning that these children would either face separation from their parents or be forced to live in desperate conditions in a country that they've never stepped foot in before.

"Like many TPS holders, the approximately 9,000 Nepalese pay taxes and contribute to our communities and economy. They have worked lawfully for so long caring for the ill and elderly, cleaning our buildings, teaching our children, and generally making our nation a better place to live.

"Congress must step in and fix this immediately and protect thousands of Nepalese from forced return to an unsafe and unstable country that is still recovering from a natural disaster of epic proportions."