City Council opposition to the continual erosion of immigrant rights and general compassion by the Trump administration, and voice our support for the continuance of Temporary Protected Status for our Salvadoran friends and residents

City of Cambridge O-3 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL January 22, 2018 MAYOR MCGOVERN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS COUNCILLOR SIDDIQUI COUNCILLOR MALLON WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has historically been a proud supporter of our resident immigrants, including undocumented immigrants and refugees; and WHEREAS: Beginning in 2001, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Salvadoran nationals who were in the United States as of 2001, the year of a devastating earthquake in El Salvador; and WHEREAS: Temporary Protective Status (TPS) is a form of immigration status that provides employment authorization and protection from deportation for foreign nationals who cannot be safely returned to their home countries; and WHEREAS: There continue to be extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Salvadoran nationals from safely returning to El Salvador, and necessitating the extension of TPS; and WHEREAS: The State Department on February 14, 2017, issued a Travel Warning to Americans traveling to the region due to the gang violence, high homicide rate, and organized street crimes; and WHEREAS: President Donald Trump and his administration have decided to end, Temporary Protected Status for Salvadoran Refugees to take effect September 2019; and WHEREAS: Salvadoran President Salvador Sánchez Cerén had urged the administration to keep TPS in place, citing a fear for deportees’ safety, and concerns regarding the ability of the poverty-stricken country to absorb so many people traveling at once; and WHEREAS: There are an estimated 263,282 Salvadoran TPS holders in the United States, and 6,058 in Massachusetts; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Council reiterate its opposition to the continual erosion of immigrant rights and general compassion by the Trump administration, and voice its support for the continuance of Temporary Protected Status for our Salvadoran friends and residents; and be it further

ORDERED: That the City Council add its firm rebuke of the divisive and ignorant language President Trump recently directed toward Haiti, El Salvador, and the many diverse nations of the African continent, whose sons and daughters contribute to the vibrant diversity of our nation and its citizenry; and be it further ORDERED: That suitably engrossed copies of this policy order be forwarded to the members of our Massachusetts Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., with appreciation for their continued advocacy for immigrant rights.