It would seem that the only thing that interests teens these days is looking at their smart phone and posting on social media. However, high school freshman Crista Ramos has found time to respond to the Trump administration’s announced plan to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This program enables 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan to legally remain in the country.
Ramos is a Bay Area-based U.S. citizen whose mother lived in the U.S. since she was 12 years old thanks to TPS. If the Trump Administration is able to go through with its plan, the 14-year-old Morales will face a choice of remaining in a country where she is a legal citizen and grow up without her mother or go to El Salvador with her mother. El Salvador currently has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and is a country that is devastated by poverty. El Salvador and Nicaragua both designated with TPS status for the last 15-plus years.
Legal protections holding so far
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled to temporary block the government from ending TPS until he rules on the case involving Ramos (Ramos v. Nielsen).
“My goal is to keep my family and the other families together,” she said to Public Radio International. “So that me and my brother and the other kids in these families can go on with our life, and education and plans.”
Reportedly quiet and shy before the lawsuit began, Ramos has become a leading figure in the movement to protect the 273,000 children who are legal citizens from being separated from their parents. She is also a strong reminder that the law here in the United States protects both its citizens and immigrants. Those who find that government agents are not acting in accordance of the law should contact an attorney with immigration law experience. These lawyers can help ensure that clients like Ramos get their day in court.
