GuatemalaTPS.Info

Prensa Libre reported today that the Guatemalan Congress intends to honor Senator Kerry for his recent support for the Guatemala TPS request.  The President of the Legislature, Roberto Alejos, called for an official Congressional Order recognizing Senator Kerry’s hard work in support of the TPS request, including his recent letter to President Obama urging the administration to grant the request.  There is hope that Senator Kerry will travel to Guatemala to receive the award, a trip that would simultaneously draw attention to the TPS request and allow the Senator to see how dire the situation is in Guatemala.

We would like to add our thanks to Senator Kerry, and to all of the other legislators who have expressed their support for the TPS request. Their support lends hope that the TPS request will be granted, a development that would ease the flood of deportations back to a country that is in no shape to properly absorb the return of over sixteen thousand deportees since January.

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It has been a quiet TPS news week, with nothing really new coming out of either Washington or Guatemala City.   Whether this is because of the upcoming Congressional vacation, the attention brought to the lawsuits filed against Arizona, or something else, the end result is that we have nothing new to report.

Well, almost nothing.  This morning, Erik Maza at the Miami Times Blog (the first English-language blog to pick up the story of Guatemala’s TPS request, and one of the key inspirations for this site) informed us that he has an updated post up today.  The post provides very little new information (probably because there’s not much new to report), but Eric does a nice job of summarizing the events of the past two months and bringing people who are new to the story up to speed. Thank you Erik, it is nice to see that we’re not the only ones tracking the issues!

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The latest public figure to lend their support to the Guatemalan TPS effort is none other than former Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. Senator John Kerry.  In a development that has seen more widespread reporting than any TPS news since the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, Senator Kerry submitted a letter to President Obama calling for the administration to grant TPS.

The full text of the letter is available on Senator Kerry’s official site, marking a significant departure from the undisclosed letters submitted by other lawmakers. Senator Kerry’s letter highlights the challenges facing Guatemala as it struggles to rebuild after last months dual natural disasters and points out that “[t]he temporary assistance provided by TPS would go a long way to help Guatemala get back on their feet.”

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Last week, we posted a brief note about reported Congressional support for the Guatemalan TPS application.  That initial report actually related to a letter of support submitted by California Assemblymember Norma Torres, and we hope to have a copy of her letter up on here for you soon.

In the meantime, one of our commenters, Sergio, posted a link to a report of additional legislative support.  We spent some time tracking the news down, and can happily confirm the news: members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus signed onto a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, expressing their support for the Guatemalan TPS application. As with the earlier letter, we are working on getting a copy of the letter posted.

We have also placed requests for copies of the letters submitted by Nevada Assemblymembers Mo Denis and Ruben Kihuen, and will update everyone here as soon as we hear something back.

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UPDATE: We got a hold of someone at the Hispanic Congressional Caucus and they confirmed that they did submit a letter in support of TPS, but informed us that they do not release the letters to the public. So, it looks like we’re going to have a hard time getting a copy of that letter to share with you all.

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Presna Libre reported this morning that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will send a committee to Guatemala to assess the impact of Tropical Storm Agatha on that country.  This is a key part of the Obama administration’s review of the TPS application, and is a hope-inspiring sign for the thousands of Guatemalans who await a decision.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a rare form of immigration benefit granted on humanitarian grounds, and as such is considered very carefully by the granting presidential administration. It is natural that the administration would want to verify the scope of Agatha’s impact on Guatemala as it reviews the application and assesses the need for immigration benefits.  The very fact that such a committee has been formed is a positive sign, as it indicates that DHS is giving the application serious consideration.

The Prensa Libre article also highlights the fact that reports on Agatha’s impact are due soon from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). It is very unlikely that the administration will make any decision about TPS before these reports are published, and the details of those reports are likely to have a significant impact on the outcome of the Guatemalan TPS application.

Finally, the article highlights the impact that your letters to your local congresspeople and senators can have. Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez has now come out in support of the TPS application.  With the impending immigration fight looming in Congress, gaining the support of representatives and senators is important, and can best be achieved through small, personal efforts – by directly contacting the politicians who represent you.  Rather than drawing  a crowd through a protest or rally, get your friends and family to write or call their local congressperson or senator and ask them to support TPS on humanitarian grounds.

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Both Prensa Libre and Siglo XXI reported on a meeting this week between Marcos Yax, president of the Coalición de Inmigrantes de Guatemala (roughly translated, the Coalition of Guatemalan Immigrants). The goal of the meeting was to share the Coalition’s support for Guatemala’s TPS application, and Mr. Yax submitted letters of support from twenty-four other organizations.

In addition to his meeting with Ambassador McFarland, Mr. Yax was scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to meet with and lobby Secretary of State Hilary Clinton as well as Senators and Congressmen.  We have been unable to find any reports as to whether these meetings happened, and welcome any word from those of you who have some information on the matter.

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