Liberian immigrants may face deportation under this little-known U.S. foreign policy program

By GNNLiberia 163

Esther Yu Hsi Lee |

Caroline Grimes, a Deferred Enforced Departure recipient from Liberia, has been in the United States since 2002. If the president does not renew the status, she may be at risk of deportation. (CREDIT: Esther Y. Lee)

Caroline Grimes — a Liberian immigrant who fled civil war in 2002 for the United States — is currently working as a nurse in Minnesota. Her job helps support her two daughters and pays for her car and house mortgages. On March 31, Grimes may lose her job, her ability to drive, and her possessions. Worst of all, she — a legal, tax-paying immigrant — may be at risk of deportation.

Grimes is a beneficiary of the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberia, a little-known immigration program authorized at the president’s discretion to conduct foreign affairs. Similar to other temporary immigration programs, DED recipients can legally work in the country and travel out of the country with advance permission. The program doesn’t provide any kind of automatic pathway to citizenship, however.

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Source: News Now | Think Progress

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Joel Cholo Brooks is a Liberian journalist who previously worked for several international news outlets including the BBC African Service. He is the CEO of the Global News Network which publishes two local weeklies, The Star and The GNN-Liberia Newspapers. He is a member of the Press Union Of Liberia (PUL) since 1986, and several other international organizations of journalists, and is currently contributing to the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation as Liberia Correspondent.

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