Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Tuesday he joined more than a dozen other attorneys general in sending a letter to Congress asking leaders to protect immigrants from countries like Haiti and El Salvador.
The coalition of 19 attorneys general from throughout the country asked Congress to protect people who have lived in the U.S. for a long time and were recipients of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. In January, President Donald Trump said he would end TPS for those from Haiti and El Salvador.
El Salvadorans were granted TPS status in 2001 after several natural disasters and political crises, according to Schneiderman. Haiti was granted the status in 2010, following the country’s devastating earthquake.
“Long-time New Yorkers from Haiti and El Salvador enrich our economy and strengthen our communities,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “Yet the Trump Administration is stripping away protective status from our vulnerable neighbors, jeopardizing their safety and wellbeing. If the Trump administration refuses to protect these families, then we need Congress to act.”
Schneiderman, along with the other attorneys general, called on Congress to pass a bill allowing those who received TPS to upgrade to permanent resident status.
The coalition includes attorneys general from states including California, Maryland, Vermont, New Jersey, Hawaii and Iowa.
