The Golden Door: December 2022
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TPS Updates for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Sudan, and Nepal
The U.S. government is automatically extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS), work permits, and other TPS-related documents for current TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Haiti, and Sudan who are covered by the Ramos or Bhattarai court cases. The extension is from December 31, 2022 through June 30, 2024.
PLEASE NOTE: There are some TPS holders from Sudan and Haiti who are NOT covered by these cases.
Find more info in your language:
Congress Fails to Pass Afghan Adjustment Act in 2022
For more than a year, ILAP has partnered with individuals and organizations across the country in advocating for Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA).
The AAA would provide a pathway to lawful permanent status for those already in the U.S. so they can begin rebuilding their lives, safeguard U.S. national security, and take some key steps in assisting at-risk Afghan allies who were not able to escape Afghanistan and remain in grave danger due to their alliance with the U.S.
Despite broad Bipartisan support, endorsements from top military, veteran, national security, foreign policy, immigration, and business experts, and polling that showed that more than 75 percent of Americans were in support, Congress failed to pass the AAA in 2022. Read the statement from the Evacuate Our Allies coalition here.
ILAP would like to particularly acknowledge the tireless work of Maine Vets for Afghans in this effort and for their related work assisting Afghan allies still in Afghanistan and here in Maine.
Maine State Legislative Session Begins
The 131st Maine Legislative Session began on December 7, 2022, with history being made through the swearing in of Rachel Talbot Ross, Maine’s first Black woman Speaker of the House, and Mana Abdi and Deqa Dhalac as Maine’s first Somali-American statewide elected legislators.
As an early action, the Legislature has advanced an emergency package that will in part provide funding to safeguard shelter for asylum seekers in Maine. Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, made clear in her testimony that those seeking asylum in Maine are doing so because it is “the only way of survival.”
Akakpo & Co. + ILAP Thermos Now Available at Coffee By Design
You can find now find ILAP + Akakpo & Co.'s Bravery thermos at Coffee By Design. Thank you Akakpo & Co. and Coffee By Design!
These beautiful thermoses, designed by Ebenezer Akakpo, embody the bravery of migration, the bravery of starting over, and the bravery of speaking out. For every thermos sold, CBD will donate $5 to support ILAP.
The thermoses are also still available online here, along with Akakpo & Co.'s other incredible products. Buy one for yourself or for someone who inspires you to be brave!
Find our thermoses here:
1 Diamond Street (Portland, ME)
67 India Street (Portland, ME)
620 Congress Street (Portland, ME)
95 Main Street (Freeport, ME)
New Year, New Platform
We are excited to announce ILAP's *new* Instagram account! Find and follow us @ILAPMaine to join our Instagram journey.
We look forward to sharing important resources for immigrants in Maine, keeping you updated about the latest immigration news and calls to action, sharing ways to get involved with the immigrant justice movement, plus much more.
ILAP in the News
ILAP joined advocates across the country in calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to speed up work permit processing and address the inefficiencies and inequities in access to work authorization for asylum seekers.