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A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 5 OctOber 2018
Immigrants cheer ruling that lets them keep protected status

By PHILIP MARCELO, AMY bors an animus against cisco, said he can't imag-
TAXIN and JENNIFER KAY non-white, non-European ine returning to the country
Associated Press aliens which influenced his he left more than two de-
BOSTON (AP) — When Su- ... decision to end the TPS cades ago as a teenager
danese immigrant Hiwaida designation." after a devastating civil
Elarabi learned the U.S. The ruling cited Trump's war.
government was ending 2015 campaign speech in He said he works in con-
the temporary protected which he characterized struction, has two U.S.-born
status that allowed her to Mexican immigrants as children and doesn't un-
live and work in the coun- drug dealers and rapists, derstand the government's
try legally for two decades, his call to bar Muslims from concern with the program
she sold off the restaurant entering the United States because he and others
that had been her life's and his vulgar reference pay taxes and pass back-
dream. to African countries during ground checks to qualify.
Terrified to return to Sudan a meeting about immigra- "This is going to give us
and unable to fathom a life tion at the White House in hope to continue in the
without proper legal docu- January. fight for something better,"
ments, the 55-year-old was It is the latest in a series of Ochoa said of the ruling. "It
one of hundreds of thou- court decisions that have is a huge relief."
sands of immigrants who slowed the Trump admin- Salvadoran paralegal Jose
got temporary relief after istration's effort to crack Palma has lived in the Bos-
a federal judge blocked down on immigration. Fed- ton area for two decades
the Trump administration eral courts also pushed and has four U.S.-born
from moving ahead with its back against the adminis- children ranging from 17
plans. tration's travel ban on sev- years old to 2 months. If his
"This is a good day," Elara- eral mostly Muslim countries temporary status ends, the
bi said Thursday. She now Associated Press and the separation of immi- 42-year-old said he would
works for a university in Mas- grant parents and children probably return to El Salva-
sachusetts after obtaining dan, El Salvador, Haiti and until the situation improves at the U.S.-Mexico border. dor with his three youngest
her master's degree in bio- Nicaragua who for now back home. Justice Department spokes- children, leaving his eldest
informatics. "I was stressed I will keep their temporary U.S. District Judge Edward man Devin O'Malley said in the U.S. to attend col-
might also lose my position protected status, known Chen in San Francisco the ruling "usurps the role of lege.
at the university as well as as TPS, under the ruling. It's granted a request late the executive branch." For now, he's focused on
my legal status in this coun- granted to citizens of coun- Wednesday to block the "The Justice Department pushing U.S. lawmakers to
try." tries ravaged by natural di- administration's plans. He completely rejects the no- pass a law allowing immi-
Elarabi is one of some sasters or war and lets them found there is evidence tion that the White House or grants with temporary sta-
300,000 immigrants from Su- live and work in the U.S. that "President Trump har- the Department of Home- tus to become legal per-
land Security did anything manent residents. He said
improper," he said in a the ruling fuels him and oth-
statement. ers to keep fighting.
It wasn't immediately clear "It's a light in the dark tun-
what the process would be nel we're walking in now,"
to extend immigrants' tem- he said.
porary status. The issue is Marleine Bastien, execu-
expected to be addressed tive director of Family Ac-
in court later this month. tion Network Movement,
El Salvador has the largest told reporters in Miami that
number of immigrants with she expects the federal
temporary status. In Janu- government to appeal the
ary, the Trump administra- ruling. She also noted that
tion said it would end the the decision, while "of great
program for the country in importance," is only tempo-
September 2019 because rary.
progress had been made Rony Ponthieux, a Haitian
to recover from a devastat- immigrant who works as a
ing 2001 earthquake. hospital nurse, said he be-
In March, immigrant ad- lieves he and others like
vocates sued on behalf of him deserve to stay in the
those with the status from country because they work
El Salvador and from the hard, pay taxes and con-
three other countries who tribute to communities just
were also told their pro- like permanent residents
grams were ending. and Americans.
Elarabi, who is one of the He said he had not started
plaintiffs, said she holds out making plans to leave the
hope of owning a restau- United States even though
rant again someday after his temporary status had
selling hers at a loss be- been set to expire in July
cause of uncertainty about 2019.
her status. "I knew something was go-
Fredy Ochoa, a 42-year- ing to happen," Ponthieux
old Salvadoran in San Fran- said. "I believed in God."q