On Jan. 8, 2018, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced her decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador, stripping current beneficiaries of legal status and exposing them to possible deportation. The Los Angeles region is home to more than 30,400 TPS recipients from El Salvador – the second highest concentration in the United States. Due to extreme gang violence in El Salvador, Salvadoran parents are now faced with the difficult decision of whether to take their U.S. citizen children back with them to El Salvador and risk putting them in harm’s way or leave them in the US, separating families.
As part of its work through The Los Angeles Justice Fund, Bet Tzedek will conduct community outreach, provide legal representation and Know Your Rights sessions for TPS recipients and their families seeking counsel on how best to plan for the future.
Bet Tzedek urges these families to consider:
Bet Tzedek has the following legal experts available to discuss options for TPS parents:
About Bet Tzedek’s Rapid Response/Family Preparedness Program
Bet Tzedek’s Rapid Response/Family Preparedness Program was launched in February 2017 in response to revised Department of Homeland Security deportation protocols which left the parents of 250,000 U.S. citizen children residing in Los Angeles at-risk for deportation. Since that time, we have conducted over 80 Know Your Rights Trainings and Clinics, providing legal counsel and education to over 23,000 individuals. As a recipient organization of The Los Angeles Justice Fund, Bet Tzedek works with families to create caregiver affidavits and probate guardianships designed to protect children remaining in the United States, conducts know-your-rights trainings, and provides comprehensive legal services.
Bet Tzedek staff attorneys and advocates are available for interviews, Know Your Rights programs and town halls. Please contact Diego Cartagena, Vice President of Legal Programs at dcartagena@bettzedek.org or 323-549- 5839 for more information or to schedule a presentation.
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