Washington, D.C.: March 22, 2016 – United States Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has extended the designations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an additional six months.
According to communication from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), although there have been significant improvements in the conditions in all three countries since their designations for TPS in November 2014, the lingering effects of the Ebola virus disease outbreak and continued recovery challenges support the six-month extension. The extended period covers from May 22, 2016 through November 21, 2016.
Current TPS beneficiaries from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone seeking to extend their TPS must re-register during a 60-day period that runs from March 22, 2016, through May 23, 2016.
The six-month extension allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Eligible TPS beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of November 21, 2016.
Reacting to the TPS extension, Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Jeremiah C. Sulunteh, lauded the U.S. Government for affording Liberians and the other West Africans an opportunity to extend their stay in the U.S.
It may be recalled that on February 24, 2016, Ambassador Sulunteh wrote separate letters to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, seeking for an extension of the TPS because Liberia is still recovering from the Ebola epidemic.
In his separate letters to Secretary of State Kerry and DHS Secretary Johnson, Ambassador Sulunteh said Liberia’s recovery is fragile, and as a result, an influx of returning nationals from abroad would negatively impact the peace and economic life of the country.
Ambassador Sulunteh also pointed out in the letters that the role the Liberian Diaspora in the United States has been crucial both in the eradication of the Ebola epidemic and Liberia’s economic recovery.
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