Dear Editor:
As U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer and U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill go along, the heartless Trump administration is ripping away Temporary Protected Status (TPS) status from thousands of families and is preparing to send people back to very dangerous situations like war-torn Sudan and post-hurricane-devastated Haiti.
This is unAmerican. The words at the base of our Statue of Liberty, welcoming the "tempest-tossed" to our shores, have in many ways defined our country. Allowing people to apply for TPS when something catastrophic happens in their country of origin is a part of our history of which we can be proud, but this life-saving protection is now under threat as Sens. Blunt and McCaskill and Rep. Luetkemeyer stand idly by.
TPS holders are our friends, employers, family, and neighbors. The majority have been here for many years, even decades, because their countries are unsafe. They have built homes, businesses, and families here and have children who have known no other home than the U.S. If TPS is terminated, these parents will be forced to decide whether to be separated from their children or take them to a dangerous place. I cannot even imagine the stress that is impacting these families right now, but I can easily conclude that their holidays were not joyful this year.
It is morally wrong to tear children away from parents, sending the parents back to devastating and often life-threatening situations. It completely horrifies me that Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer and Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill are complicit with policies that could endanger families who have lived here for decades and have helped build our communities and our economy.