Washington, DC — Thousands of Liberians facing deportation from the United States were granted an 18-month extension by a presidential order published by the White House on Wednesday.
"I have determined that there are compelling foreign policy reasons not to enforce the removal of Liberians presently residing in the United States," President Bush said in a memorandum directed to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
The extension affects some 3600 Liberians and their families who have been living in the United States under what is known as temporary protective status (TPS). The president directed Homeland Security to grant those Liberians "deferral of enforced departure" for 18 months from October 1, 2007, the date when they otherwise would have been subject to deportation.
In April, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf appealed to Congress to allow Liberians living in the United States to remain for some time longer.
"Liberia needs time to rebuild and recover and is unfortunately not in a position to absorb and provide for an influx of refugees," she said. In August, she wrote to President Bush, saying: "Continuing to provide residency for those Liberians who are unable to return to Liberia at this time, will allow them to continue to contribute not only to American society, but also to Liberian reconstruction."
The presidential directive provides six months more than the extension to temporary protective status passed by the House of Representatives in August. Although anti-immigration advocates oppose repeated extensions in principal, support for Liberia crosses partisan lines in the U.S. Congress. The president's action was backed by leading members of both political parties in the House and Senate.
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