Dear President Biden & Secretary Mayorkas,
As your constituents, many of us Faith and Civic Leaders, from across New York City & State, we are writing to ask you to designate Temporary Protected Status for Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania. As the three countries where the largest number of West African Asylum seekers originate from—15% out of total NYC census 64,218 individuals as of 3/25/24 according to data from the City—TPS is the single greatest need of asylum seekers and the Houses of Worship that support them.
The asylum seekers in the United States from Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania have been forced to flee political, social, and economic situations that warrant Temporary Protected Status. In Mauritania, slavery was criminalized in only 2007 and an estimated 340,000 to 680,000 Mauritanians are still enslaved.1 In Guinea, sexual violence, genital mutilation, and forced marriage are exceedingly common and directly connected to a militarized police force.2 In Senegal, a 40-year insurgency in the Casamance region continues to endanger and displace people.3
Not only will Temporary Protected Status allow these individuals to work, TPS will also, for those designated, provide a temporary stay from navigating overcrowded asylum application assistance. Simultaneously, TPS for these countries will reduce burdens on NYC and other local and state government systems while each of these individuals are able to contribute to our economy and taxes, which will ultimately benefit the common good.
Beyond all of the political reasons, we are called to write to you because of a strong moral conviction that we must support these individuals and families in need. For many of the West African Asylum seekers fleeing dire humanitarian crises, an arrival in New York can slow their resettlement efforts, because of systemic injustice navigating City and state programs. NYC’s shelter system evicts West African men at the highest rate and West African languages (including French) are vastly underrepresented in City run services.4
In NYC, we have seen the powerful effect TPS designation can have for individuals and the common good. In October 2023, when TPS was redesignated for Venezuelans, the City, State, and Federal Government launched a highly effective application center which effectively completed and processed thousands of appropriate applications. Temporary protected status for these individuals and families provided crucial resettlement assistance in the form of expedited work authorization while alleviating the long back-ups in the asylum process.
We are asking you to join us in enacting a more just world and designate temporary protected status for Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania. We understand the federal government is concerned about so-called ‘pull-factors,’ but in all these cases, what is leading the forced migration is life threatening ‘push-factors.’ The political situation in these countries is forcing people to flee for safety. The wellbeing of all New Yorkers rests on the ability for the newest New Yorkers to achieve their dreams and sustain their families. Designate TPS for Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania.
Dr. Debbie Almontaser, CEO, Bridging Cultures Group, INC.
Judy Bass & Charlie Davidson, Co-Chairs, Synagogue Coalition on the Refugee and Immigration Crisis
Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, The Interfaith Center of New York
Rev. Peter Cook, Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches
Salim Drammeh, Executive Director, Gambian Youth Organization
Bishop Orlando Findlayter & Rev. Edward-Richard Hinds, Co-Chairs, Concerned Clergy of NYC
Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of New York
Ruth Messinger, Former Manhattan Borough President
Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director, Muslim Community Network
Full List of Supporters Below
For inquiries regarding this letter, please reach out to Brennan Brink (brennan@interfaithcenter.org)
1 Sutter, John D., and Edythe McNamee. “Slavery’s Last Stand.” CNN. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/index.html.
2 “Guinea: "Shame Must Change Sides: Ensuring Rights and Justice for Victims of Sexual Violence in Guinea.” Amnesty International, October 3, 2022. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr29/5410/2022/en/?utm_source=annual_report&utm_medium=epub&utm_campaign=2021.
3 “In Senegal’s War-Torn Casamance, a Dialogue Builds Stability.” United States Institute of Peace, August 17, 2022. https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/08/senegals-war-torn-casamance-dialogue-builds-stability.
4 Arun Venugopal “Black Migrants in New York Experiencing Scarcity and Inequity, New Study Says.” Gothamist, May 2, 2024. https://gothamist.com/news/black-migrants-in-new-york-experiencing-scarcity-and-inequity-new-study-says.
