ADC: Syria TPS Request

posted on: Jan 25, 2012

Today the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) filed a formal petition with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) be granted to Syrian nationals currently present in the United States. Due to the worsening situation on the ground in Syria and the mounting number of deaths (which now exceeds 6,000), it has become eminently clear that the forced return of civilians poses a gravethreat to their personal safety.

The petition is supported by a broad coalition of community partners, including:

-Refugee Council USA (RCUSA)

-Syrian Americans for Democracy (SAD)

-US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)

-The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)

-Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF)

-United for Free Syria (UFS)

-South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

-Syrian Expats

Under 8 U.S.C. § 1254a, the Department of Homeland Security may designate any foreign state or part of a foreign state for Temporary Protected Status if there is ongoing armed conflict within the state and, due to the conflict, requiring the return of nationals to that state or part of a state would pose a serious threat to their personal safety. The facts presented in the petition make it clear that the ongoing conflict in Syria has made the country unsafe, and the conditions pose a serious threat to the personal safety of those forced to return.

The petition draws facts from numerous independent reports from international organizations, such as the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, all of which indicate that civilians in Syria are facing crimes against humanity. Any Syrian national in the US would almost certainly face grave repercussions upon their return to Syria due to their political beliefs and positions, not to mention the general risk to them posed by the current civil strife.

Granting the TPS request is the morally correct thing to do, and at the same time it also offers the U.S. government a proactive measure to directly assist innocent Syrian civilians.

ADC will continue the campaign to ensure that the TPS request is granted. Please show your support and endorse the petition now.

<a href=”http://capwiz.com/adc/utr/1/AUFORGNZXM/DNUZRGOBPW/7840887166″>Read the petition</a>, <a href=”http://capwiz.com/adc/utr/1/AUFORGNZXM/LKYZRGOBPX/7840887166″>endorse the petition</a>.