WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today commended a decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to designate nationals from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months.  Due to the outbreak of Ebola virus in these West African countries, eligible individuals from these countries who are currently residing in the United States may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The TPS designations for the three countries are effective November 21, 2014 and will be in effect for 18 months.  The designations mean that eligible nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, as well as people without nationality who last routinely resided in one of those three countries, will not be removed from the United States and are authorized to work and obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

The 180-day TPS registration period begins November 21, 2014 and runs through May 20, 2015.  Interested, eligible individuals can find out more about details and procedures for applying for TPS at www.uscis.gov/tps

“Granting temporary protected status is the right thing to do, and I commend the Department of Homeland Security for taking this step.  Many of these inidviduals are already coping with tragic news of family members and friends affected by the Ebola epidemic in their home country, and it would be wrong to send more individuals into the hardest-hit areas of this disaster.  This temporary protection will only be extended to qualified individuals, and they will undergo a full background check.  In many instances, these folks are already part of our communities in Rhode Island and across the country, and we welcome them here as their home countries work to address a terrible epidemic,” said Reed.

To be eligible for TPS, applicants must demonstrate that they satisfy all eligibility criteria and undergo security checks.  Those with certain criminal records or who pose a threat to national security are not eligible for TPS.

Rhode Island has one of the largest populations of Liberians per capita, and Reed has worked for years to allow this community to legally reside in the U.S., while conditions in their home country made it too dangerous to return, most recently through a program called Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).  Senator Reed worked behind the scenes with White House, Homeland Security, and State Department officials earlier this year on behalf of the Liberian community to secure a two-year DED extension from the Obama Administration, which took effect on September 30, 2014.  Senator Reed has also introduced the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act, a bill to grant permanent residency to qualifying Liberians living legally in the United States. 

Liberians currently covered under the two-year extension of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) based on President Obama’s September 26, 2014 decision may also apply for TPS and are encouraged to apply within the initial 180-day registration period.  Liberians covered by DED who already possess or have applied for an EAD do not need to also apply for one related to this TPS designation.  However, such individuals who are granted TPS may request a TPS-related EAD at a later date as long as the TPS designation for Liberia remains in effect.

All USCIS forms are free.  Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/forms or request them by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.

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