By Jonathan Ernst
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (Reuters) - As snow blanketed African markets, churches and graves in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in February, members of the Liberian community were praying fervently that this would not be their last winter in the United States.
A form of immigration status known as Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) – which had protected the migrants from deportation and allowed them to work legally – was due to expire in March, meaning they would have had to leave the country voluntarily or be deported.


It was all part of the effort by President Donald Trump's administration to widen its crackdown on legal and illegal immigration to the United States.
Days before the March deadline, Trump granted Liberians a reprieve to last through March 30, 2020. Though relieved, community members recognized that the clock was simply reset for the thousands of Liberians who fled civil war and instability in their home country in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Marie Zar, 52, who has been in the United States for nearly two decades, holds DED status. Like many Liberians in Minnesota, she works in the healthcare industry. She's a nurse's assistant, who also picks up shifts at the local hospital as an interpreter for Liberian patients.


The money she makes supports nearly two dozen family members in Liberia. She said her family's lives will be upended if her DED status ends.
"My nieces are going to school from the money I make here," Zar said. "We don't know what's going to happen. We're not sure what's going to happen to us."
Famatta Zeon, 43, a local Liberian organizer with DED status, had worked furiously throughout winter to lobby the government and raise awareness of her community's plight.
"There are some families who have been here 23, 25 years on this status," she said. "We've worked here, we've paid our taxes, we have homes here. We don't want our children to be put in the system here. We have tried our honest best to work here and not be dependent on the system."


But Zeon lamented: "He's the only one that can put that gavel down," referring to President Donald Trump. "Give us ... a clear pathway to citizenship. We're taxpayers, we're not problems."
https://m.scoopernews.com/2019/05/14/liberians-grapple-with-potential-loss-of-u-s-legal-status/2632523?channelId=011

I think Obama's administration was in the best position to grant these lots permanent residence

kapelvej:
I think Obama's administration was in the best position to grant these lots permanent residence

But it did not happen.
Still the blind ones who worship skin color would say "Everything is fine because we have a Black president in the oval office ".

kapelvej:
I think Obama's administration was in the best position to grant these lots permanent residence

He kinda tried that with DACA, and DAPA, executive orders. DAPA was struck down by the courts and there are a bunch of lawsuits on DACA. Likewise with temporary residence for Salvadorans, Haitians, and others. Obama also ended the wet foot dry foot for Cubans and ended allowing Haitians to enter.

panafrican:

But it did not happen.
Still the blind ones who worship skin color would say "Everything is fine because we have a Black president in the oval office ".

You are right, Obama is not a black man.Although I think he is a good man, however Iran got over 4 billion dollars to stop nuclear weapons proliferation more than what all African countries got under him.

OyinbowithaTan:


He kinda tried that with DACA, and DAPA, executive orders. DAPA was struck down by the courts and there are a bunch of lawsuits on DACA. Likewise with temporary residence for Salvadorans, Haitians, and others. Obama also ended the wet foot dry foot for Cubans and ended allowing Haitians to enter.

Sincerely I am happy I could engage with a nairalander at this level. Since the coming of Buhari and APC, nairaland has been turned to ethnic and religious battlefield. PDP, is not better, and I am not exempted from the religious and ethnic battles. However, Cuba was highly political and was a last minute deal to do something extra ordinary. All Americal presidents do this in their last term. DACA ANS DAPA, was not pursued vigourously. Moreover, DAPA AND DACA like the Liberia stuff came too late. He could have done those in his first term when everybody in the states, saw him as messiah, when both Congress and parliament were both controlled massively by democrats. It is just like the case of Buhari. two years after 2015 elections when he first came to power, Nigerians would accept anything he did, but not now. That was why Nigeria accepted pump prise increment from 80naira to 145 naira.

kapelvej:
Sincerely I am happy I could engage with a nairalander at this level. Since the coming of Buhari and APC, nairaland has been turned to ethnic and religious battlefield. PDP, is not better, and I am not exempted from the religious and ethnic battles. However, Cuba was highly political and was a last minute deal to do something extra ordinary. All Americal presidents do this in their last term. DACA ANS DAPA, was not pursued vigourously. Moreover, DAPA AND DACA like the Liberia stuff came too late. He could have done those in his first term when everybody in the states, saw him as messiah, when both Congress and parliament were both controlled massively by democrats. It is just like the case of Buhari. two years after 2015 elections when he first came to power, Nigerians would accept anything he did, but not now. That was why Nigeria accepted pump prise increment from 80naira to 145 naira.

I think it is difficult for a President to do permanent residency via executive order. The US has granted amnesty/citizenship to people in the country illegally, generally targeting people from Mexico. But it starts with a Congressional bill. This first happened in 1986. People granted temporary status is another matter. 99% of the time they never want to go back. The USA is all over the place with immigration, visas etc.
A couple of years ago a family from Bulgaria got deported. The man and the wife were in the USA on student visas. The man acquired a PHD, was teaching music/violin in one of the best music schools in the USA. He also performed in concerts across the country. He had 2 children, born in the USA, owned a home. He spent $10,000 and filled out hundreds of papers for permanent residency. Application denied, ordered to leave the country.

OyinbowithaTan:


I think it is difficult for a President to do permanent residency via executive order. The US has granted amnesty/citizenship to people in the country illegally, generally targeting people from Mexico. But it starts with a Congressional bill. This first happened in 1986. People granted temporary status is another matter. 99% of the time they never want to go back. The USA is all over the place with immigration, visas etc.
A couple of years ago a family from Bulgaria got deported. The man and the wife were in the USA on student visas. The man acquired a PHD, was teaching music/violin in one of the best music schools in the USA. He also performed in concerts across the country. He had 2 children, born in the USA, owned a home. He spent $10,000 and filled out hundreds of papers for permanent residency. Application denied, ordered to leave the country.

That Bulgarian case was particularly a difficult one, because the Bulgarian was a national security threat. He was only just trying to come clean, but his prints...

kapelvej:
That Bulgarian case was particularly a difficult one, because the Bulgarian was a national security threat. He was only just trying to come clean, but his prints...

What lol, no he wasn't a threat.