Throughout my time in Congress, I have been an advocate of efforts to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Liberian refugees in the United States.  In 2007, I worked with Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island to successfully petition the Bush Administration to grant Liberian Americans TPS.  Because the TPS for Liberian Americans was set to expire on March 31, 2009, Congressman Kennedy and I again worked together to request that President Obama defer enforcement of the deportation order for Liberian refugees.  I am happy to report that our efforts were again successful and Liberian Americans were granted protected status for an additional 12 months.

America has a special historical relationship with Liberia. The country was founded as Africa’s first republic in 1822 by former American slaves, with funding provided by the U.S. Federal Government.  When Liberia fell into civil war, the U.S. granted refugee status to Liberians fleeing the violence.  Since the conflict began, over 3,600 Liberians have sought refuge in the U.S. and Minnesota is proud to be home to over 1,000 Liberian refugees.  Although, the violence has diminished, the Liberian government fears that the return of thousands of refugees at once could destabilize the nation.

While I appreciate efforts by the Bush and Obama Administrations to grant protected status to Liberian Americans, many of these refugees have deep roots in our communities.  They have established permanent and productive lives in the U.S., cultivating careers and raising families for over a decade.  That is why I believe we must set a clear path to permanent citizenship for Liberian refugees living in the U.S. on TPS.  To accomplish this goal Congressmen Kennedy and I recently introduced H.R. 2258, the Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act.