26 JAN 2022

VP Harris’s Visit to Honduras Underscores the Crucial Need to Continue to Address Root Causes of Migration and Extend TPS to Central American Immigrants in the U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC - Tomorrow, Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a delegation to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the presidential inauguration of Xiomara Castro. The attendance of the Vice President and the delegation represents continued efforts to work with Mexico and Central American countries to address the root causes of migration. The visit, however, also underscores the crucial need to accelerate work on shared regional solutions to address migration in the western hemisphere. Climate change and natural disasters, violence, ongoing political strife and the devastating impacts of COVID-19 continue to force people to leave their homes in search of safety. These factors stress why the Biden administration should extend or re-designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Central American immigrants currently in the United States as a crucial part of its regional work.

Last year, the Biden administration took some important steps to address regional migration including a plan and critical investments in the region to help communities and prevent the spread of COVID-19 with vaccine doses and other humanitarian assistance. President Biden and Vice President Harris have met with North and Central America leaders and civil-society groups to develop and implement initiatives addressing regional migration with promises to do more collaboratively. 

“As Honduras enters a new chapter in its history by electing its first female president, the country as well as the rest of Central America and the Western Hemisphere continue to face challenges forcing migration and displacement of entire communities,” stated Sergio Gonzales, the Executive Director of the Immigration Hub. “Last year, the Biden-Harris administration released a comprehensive and strong plan to address complex issues impacting the region. This year, they must double down on the plan’s tenets. Success in this important work will only be achieved by policies that treat people fairly and with dignity, and through a shared regional framework that treats migration as a dynamic asset to be managed rather than deterred. 

“Under Vice President Harris, the U.S. has made vital investments and progress with international leaders and civil-society groups. As the administration enters its second year, policies that expand opportunity in the region and legal pathways for migration must be prioritized. Shared efforts to address the effects of climate change, political corruption and criminal organizations is equally critical. None of these long standing issues in the region can be solved overnight or through failed enforcement policies at our border, but the Vice President’s ambitious blueprint can bring about unprecedented improvements to Central America that no other administration has effectively achieved. 

“The first step the administration must take this year as part of this work is to extend TPS to Central American immigrants already in the U.S. As part of our moral and economic recovery, the administration can ensure that these families are not separated and deported to dangerous conditions. Immigrants from this region fled persecution, natural disasters and violence to find safety and opportunity. Today, they continue to stand with Americans on the frontlines of the pandemic and as a critical part of our labor force as the nation faces increasing labor shortages and related inflation. 

“The majority of the American electorate has never supported an America that turns its back on its neighbors, separates families or deports our co-workers. President Biden and Vice President Harris have an opportunity to live up to their strategy in the region and fulfill their promise to families in America.”

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.