Due to significant implementation problems, only 91 Liberian DED recipients newly eligible for citizenship had applications approved in FY 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the House of Representatives takes up immigration reform this week, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) sent a letter to the heads of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging the Biden Administration to improve the program that provides a pathway to citizenship for Liberian refugees living in America on the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program.
The Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) Act was signed into law in 2019, the culmination of a years-long effort by Minnesota’s Liberian community, Phillips, and a core group of bipartisan lawmakers. Though more than 2,300 applied in FY 2020, only 91 Liberian DED recipients had their LRIF applications successfully completed due to ongoing delays at USCIS and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For decades, Liberian refugees have worked, owned homes, raised families, and paid taxes legally in Minnesota through the DED program with no opportunity to become citizens,” said Rep. Phillips. “Our extraordinary Liberian community, along with Republicans and Democrats in Congress, worked so hard to finally secure a pathway. We thought the hardest part of the journey was behind us, but it appears that unacceptable hurdles remain. Congress and the Biden Administration must come together to ensure that every eligible applicant for the LRIF program receives fair treatment and full transparency.”
Continue reading “Phillips Writes to Biden Administration Demanding Immediate Improvements to Liberian Refugee Citizenship Program as the House Takes Up Immigration Reform”