Obama can help
Filipinos with TPS
By Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii)
(As published in The Hill) >>
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/199194-obama-can-help-filipinos-with-tps
(Sen. Mazie K. Hirono and FALDEF Director Patricia Astorga, Esq.)
Last November,
Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm ever recorded on land wrought horrific
destruction across the central Philippines.
With sustained winds of nearly 150 mph and waves higher than many of the
buildings in the region, Haiyan caused hundreds of millions of dollars in
damage and left more than 6,000 people dead, 27,000 injured and 4 million
displaced.
Families in the United States responded with an
outpouring of sympathy and support, and our nation immediately assisted through
foreign aid, military assistance and relief supplies. Months later, however,
the resources and infrastructure of the Philippines are strained and
communities are still struggling to recover.
There is much that the federal government can do to ensure
the Philippines
continues to receive critical support in this time of tragedy. One commonsense
measure is the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act I have introduced
with Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), which would provide expedited tax relief for
Americans making charitable donations in support of Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts.
We should make it easier for American families to do what they can to help our
friends in the Philippines.
We must also call on the Obama administration to recognize
that a key component of relief efforts must be to extend Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) to the Philippines.
Designed as an emergency measure for nations facing extreme hardships, such as
those caused by natural disasters, TPS would allow Filipino nationals without
permanent resident status to continue to stay in the U.S. and provide working
authorization temporarily until TPS status ends. This would greatly assist
relief efforts by giving the affected regions more time to recover before
accepting returnees.
The Filipino American community across our nation has joined
together to launch a national movement to advocate for TPS. Some of these
groups include the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, the National
Domestic Workers Alliance, and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance. The
Relief 2 Recovery coalition has held nationally coordinated press events,
vigils, call-in days and collected thousands of signatures of support. Led by
domestic workers, legal advocates and faith and community leaders, Relief 2
Recovery has also organized meetings with the Department of Homeland Security,
the State Department and the Philippine Embassy.
In an era that too often sees partisan gridlock, members of
Congress from both chambers and both sides of the aisle have come together to
support granting TPS. In bipartisan letters to the Secretary of Homeland
Security, we recognized that “due to natural disaster, the Philippine
government is currently struggling to address significant loss of life, repair
extensive damage to infrastructure, and provide sufficient and timely aid to
millions of survivors.”
While the efforts of millions across the world have provided
relief to the communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan, our work to rebuild lives
and infrastructure in the Philippines is far from over and the country is not
in a position to accommodate returning nationals. We urge the Department of
Homeland Security to support recovery efforts by granting TPS to the Philippines.
Hirono is the junior
senator from Hawaii, serving since 2013. She sits on the Armed Services; the
Environment and Public Works; the Judiciary; and the Veterans Affairs
Committees.
