MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — United States Senator Tina Smith tells WCCO there has been a major breakthrough that will provide permanent status to thousands of Liberians in Minnesota and across the United States.
The Defense Authorization Act — which would keep those Liberians here — passed Thursday in the U.S. House. The U.S. Senate is expected to do the same on Monday, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.
READ MORE: 'They All Have A Different Story': Save The Boards Reminds Mpls. Of Impact Of George Floyd's MurderLast March, just days before a deportation deadline for Liberians with deferred enforcement departure status, or DED, they were given a one-year extension that allowed them to stay in the country. That deadline is set to expire in early 2020.
READ MORE: ‘I Don’t Have Any Other Home’: Thousands Of Minnesota Liberians Fear Deportation
READ MORE: New Programs Aim To Address Stress, Depression AAPI Community FacesSmith says the bill provides a path to citizenship in five years.
“This is really good news,” Smith said. ‘We have been working really hard to get to this point.”
MORE NEWS: $93M Boost For Mental Health One Of 2022 Sessions Bipartisan Bright SpotsMany Liberian Minnesotans were granted DED status in 1999 in response to the Liberian Civil War.