FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 20th, 2021
Contact: bethelhem@undocublack.org
President Biden extends DED for Liberia for an additional 18 months
Washington D.C. -- Today the Biden Administration extended Liberian Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for 18 months. After years of relentless attacks on the Liberian community, the former administration sealed its legacy of cruelty by allowing Liberian DED to lapse in the final days of the Trump administration. UndocuBlack Network commends the Biden administration for this humane and compassionate start to their term in office. The decision to extend DED for Liberia is a meaningful first step towards a permanent protection for the Liberian community. DED currently only provides the baseline protection from deportation and authorization to work. An estimated 10,000 Liberians are eligible to benefit from the extension.
Although we celebrate the hard-fought victory of the extensions, we cannot overlook the fact that the extensions merely serve as a bandaid for a festering wound. UndocuBlack led the efforts that created the first legalization bill in over a decade, the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program (LRIF). The former administration sabotaged this program and hindered the chance for thousands of eligible Liberians to obtain permanent residency. Human beings are not meant to live their lives in unstable and uncertain increments of 12 to 18 months. We as a community cannot thrive if our physical safety and our ability to work and live with our families can come into constant question at the behest of changing administrations.
For more than two decades, thousands of Liberian immigrants living in the US have not been able to imagine their lives beyond the expiration dates of their temporary status, which has influenced their continued employment, self-sufficiency, and personal safety. We are happy about the 18 months extension, but we will continue to hold the Biden Administration accountable and push for them to continue to pull every administrative lever available to provide a permanent solution for the Liberian community.
Patrice Lawrence, Co-Director, UndocuBlack Network, stated: “We needed an extension of Liberian DED so that those eligible for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF), the Green Card program for Liberians, could have protection and maintain income as they go through the application process for LRIF. We are unreeling from 4 years of chaos, and so we welcome the Biden Administration’s compassionate beginning on this matter. We are happy about the 18 month extension, but we know DED is just the baseline.
Unfortunately, we cannot rest, there is just too much to do to achieve justice. The previous Administration relentlessly attacked Liberian communities by ending DED the first time, placing roadblocks in the implementation of LRIF, and most recently allowing DED to lapse in the final days of their term in office. We will continue to hold the Biden Administration accountable to ensure a full administrative review, repeal of the harsh policy guidelines for applicants and success of LRIF implementation for all 10,000 eligible people, even if that means extending the current deadline beyond December 2021.”
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Chris Eve, LRIF Applicant stated: “ After years of working hard and fighting for DED and LRIF, I feel like we are finally getting somewhere. But when you are waiting for your status, you are stuck and cannot do anything or make any future plans. I applied for LRIF and I’m waiting on my interview. I have been waiting since June and I haven't heard anything from USCIS. If I could tell one thing to the Administration, it would be that they must revise the LRIF implementation to help speed up the process. Even after applying for LRIF, we are stuck until we know our status in this country.”
Louise, LRIF Recipient stated: “ Before I got my green card my life was painfully stressful. I have lived in this country for 20 years, and for each of those years I would begin to get worried around December, knowing that my fate as a DED holder was up to the president of the United States. With LRIF and this DED extension we finally have something in our hands. Words cannot describe the relief I feel.”
