Local leaders and advocates condemned recent Supreme Court rulings that roll back protections for migrants.
The Decisions
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday to allow President Donald Trump’s administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants who are here due to unsafe conditions in their countries.
Some countries outside of the United States get designated for TPS due to events like war or an environmental disaster, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The status can also be given to people who are already in the U.S.
Once someone gets TPS, that person cannot be removed from the U.S. or detained due to their immigration status. The new ruling allows the Trump administration to end those rules.
In another ruling Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. can limit how many people can apply for asylum per day. It allows the current preidential administration to restart a policy that was used by President Obama’s administration that would turn away asylum-seeking migrants at the border.
County Executive Marc Elrich reacts
“What the Supreme Court did today is shameful, a deliberate unraveling of lives people spent years building here, legally and in good faith,” Elrich wrote in a statement.
He said immigrants with TPS pay taxes and raise children who are, in some cases, American citizens.
“Today, they were told they can be sent back to countries that are not safe,” he said.
Elrich also said immigrants with temporary protected status help to keep local hospitals, job sites and restaurants running.
“What’s being done to them is cruelty dressed up as policy, and I will not call it anything else,” he said.
Elrich contended that the act of seeking asylum should not be viewed as a crime.
“It is a right written into our laws and grounded in the most basic human decency,” he said. “Montgomery County will remain a place where people fleeing harm are met with dignity, not a closed door.”
Residents seeking information regarding their TPS status are advised by Elrich to contact the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center for help.
County Council President Natali Fani-González takes it personal
“As an immigrant myself, I take these decisions personally. While we cannot control what happens at the federal level, we will continue to embrace our immigrant neighbors here in Montgomery County,” Fani-González stated.
She pointed to all of the immigrants in Montgomery County who are deeply rooted in the community. “Many of these individuals, including thousands of our friends and neighbors here in Montgomery County, have raised children, worked hard and contributed to the fabric of our community for years or even decades,” she said of the TPS ruling.
“Frankly, the Supreme Court ignored the blatant racism that has always motivated this administration’s horrific treatment of Haitians, in particular.”
Fani-González said she believes all immigrants who reach U.S. soil have the right to apply for asylum.
“And this decision by the Supreme Court will put vulnerable people at risk in their most desperate time.”
She noted the county passed four bills related to immigrants and ICE.
Immigrant advocacy group CASA calls it cruel
“This is a cruel and dangerous decision for countless families, workers and entire communities,” Ama Frimpong stated, CASA’s chief of services. “It is a betrayal to the millions of Americans who believe that people who have built their lives in the U.S. because they cannot safely return to their home countries deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. More than three decades ago, Congress created TPS based on a simple principle: no one should be forced to return to a country facing war, disaster, political instability, or other conditions that make a safe return impossible. That principle remains just as true today as it was then.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Homeland Security leaders offer praise
“These three rulings are all victories for the rule of law and common sense,” stated James Percival, general counsel at the DHS. “This includes barring aliens from applying for asylum if they haven’t set foot in the United States, making it easier to remove lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who commit a crime, and reaffirming that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was always supposed to be temporary and can be cancelled at the appropriate time. Thanks to these decisions, we now have several more important tools to continue securing our borders.”
