Global Ministries among 50+ Groups in Letter on TPS Extension and Redesignation

At the end of January 2018, the Department of Homeland Security is set to make a decision on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria, a program that allows 6,900 Syrians to live and work legally in the United States.

Ahead of this decision, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ joined over 50 human rights, immigration, advocacy, and faith groups and organizations in a coalition letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State calling for the extension and redesignation of TPS for Syria.

The letter explains: “The brutal war crimes and crimes against humanity, widespread arrests and repression, and starvation and medical deteriorations that Syrians inside the country are subjected to on a regular basis make the return of TPS beneficiaries untenable and tantamount to a death sentence.”

The full text of the letter is available here (with an updated signatory list as of Jan. 23, 2018).

UPDATE: Church World Service delivered an interfaith letter signed by nearly 300 faith leaders & faith-based organizations to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen, urging a re-designation & 18-mo extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syrians. Click here to read the letter.

UPDATE (July 2019): Global Ministries was among 46 organizations and agencies to sign a new letter to Secretary of State Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security McAleenan calling on the current Administration to renew and redesignate Temporary Protected Status for Syria. The July 16, 2019 letter states, “Since the original designation, the extraordinary circumstances upon which the TPS designation was based have continued and in some areas of the country, worsened. To date, more than 500,000 Syrians have been killed, more than 5.6 million have been made refugees, and 6.6 million have been internally displaced across Syria.” The letter also says, “The United States must demonstrate leadership in upholding international norms.”  The letter concludes, “Taking into account the extraordinary conditions that make it entirely untenable to prematurely return Syrian refugees and displaced persons, we urge you to extend and redesignate TPS for Syria in order to guarantee that these necessary protections extend both to Syrians who currently maintain this status, as well as those who have been forced to flee more recently due to continued violence and abuses.”  Click here to read the most recent letter.