IndiaPost.com - Support sought for TPS status for Bangladeshis

India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: SAN seeks the support of the Bangladeshi community to advocate for Temporary Protected Status for Bangladeshi immigrants residing in the United States. Temporary Protected Status (TPS), established as part of Immigration Act of 1990, is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries.

This procedure allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide TPS to aliens in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, the temporary effects of an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) administers the TPS program and allows beneficiaries to remain in the United States and obtain work authorization. Similarly, DED is a temporary protection from removal which is granted to aliens from a designated country.

DED is designated by the Office of the President of the United States of America, as a constitutional power to conduct foreign relations. The Secretary of Homeland Security can designate a country for TPS and the President is the one to designate DED for nationals of a particular country by Executive Order or Presidential Memorandum.

Many immigrants from Bangladesh currently in the United States have witnessed the devastating impact of the Category 4 cyclone Sidr, which crashed into the southern coast of Bangladesh on the evening of November 14, with 155mph winds causing a 20 feet tidal wave.

The last official death toll from Cyclone Sidr was 3,167 with 1,724 reported missing (Disaster Management Ministry estimates as of November 24) and many areas of Bangladesh are yet to be reached by aid workers, causing officials to estimate up to 5,000-10,000 deaths in the region.

In addition, the government is unable to attend to the thousands of people who are in need of food and other resources. This cyclone is following an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, which occurred on November 7.

The earthquake jolted the southern and southeastern region of Bangladesh, with the epicenter located 253 km southeast of capital Dhaka city, causing damage to homes and office buildings in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Comilla and Noakhali districts. In addition, Bangladesh has experienced continued floods in its northeast region caused by the heavy monsoon rains which has displaced more than 8 million people since June.

Given the current state of Bangladesh following the various environmental disasters, SAN has requested that the Department of Homeland Security grants Temporary Protected Status to immigrants who would otherwise have to return to a devastated country.