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Vestonia Viddy was just 8 years old when she saw her dad for the last time. Liberia’s first civil war had just begun, and her family was in hiding in their home’s attic. But then rebels invaded the house. “She says the rebels made her father, who was a doctor in the local hospital, stay behind to care for their wounded,” WBUR reports. “It was years later that the family learned of his death.” She has not been to Liberia since.
But despite the United States being her home for close to three decades now, Viddy’s immigration protections are ending just days from now, on March 31. Without a last-minute extension of Deferred Enforced Departure or action from Congress, Viddy and thousands of other Liberian DED holders will lose their ability to work legally and will become vulnerable to deportation.
"I mean, we're all just scared,” she said. “We were able to have work authorization, protection from deportation all these years and in a week, my entire family is going to be undocumented." Viddy and others are now also hoping recent legal against the Trump administration over the termination of DED can provide some temporary but needed relief.
“Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a lawsuit in Boston's federal court claiming cancellation of the program for the African nation is racist,” WBUR continues. “They see it as an effort to forcibly remove nonwhite immigrants from the country.” Ten states so far have joined this action. Other court action also recently halted the administration’s termination of another program protecting immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan.
Liberian DED holders are deeply embedded in their communities and their deportation will reverberate far beyond their homes. In Minnesota, a number of nursing homes depend on 150 Liberian workers who provide medical care, nutrition, and other dedicated assistance to elders. During a press conference that featured Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, DED holders wept as nursing assistant Christina Wilson described the fear she and others are living in.
“Liberia is not safe. We cannot go back,” Wilson said. “Every year we must worry that DED will be renewed or not. Some nights I don’t sleep. I just wake up and try to think what’s going to happen next.” In the background, some could not contain their sobs and left the room. "To lose that skilled care is an enormous negative impact," said Kym Fisher of the nonprofit St. Therese organization. "Our staff are an extension of their family. They have relationships with them. It's taking a huge part of them away."
In just days, “thousands of Minnesotans are going to lose their immigration status,” Omar said. “These are folks who have never committed a crime. They have not violated or done anything to have their status changed. They’re not going to be allowed to apply for permanent residency or even citizenship. The reason that they’re going to be punished is nothing more than cruel ideology coming from this administration.”
“When they become undocumented, that means they can no longer work here,” she continued, expanding on the most immediate effects of DED’s termination. “They can longer care for patients here. They can no longer pay their car payments. They can no longer the safe security of being a member of our community.” This is about people and their families, and they need our help. Make a call today to help protect them.