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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the below statement applauding the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to extend and re-designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemen:

“The looming expiration of TPS for the thousands of Yemeni citizens, including children, living in the United States creates uncertainty and fear. Forcing families back to a country which remains in a constant state of war and humanitarian crisis is life-threatening and immoral. I have continuously called for this extension each year and worked across governments to ensure the safety of refugees. Today’s extension and re-designation of TPS is a sigh of relief for Yemeni people in the United States, but we must continue to be vigilant in ensuring critical aid to Yemen, especially for the 400,000 Yemeni children under the age of 5 that are on the brink of death from malnutrition, during this time of violence and suffering.”

TPS allows individuals from nations experiencing war, natural disasters, or extraordinary circumstances to live and work in the United States on a temporary basis. Yemen’s TPS status was set to expire on September 3, 2021. The extension announced by DHS allows individuals already enrolled in the program to re-register for an extension of their status for 18 months, through March 3, 2023. Through the re-designation, eligible individuals who do not have TPS may submit an initial Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status.

For more information about eligibility requirements, please visit www.ucis.gov/tps. Members of the community who need assistance should contact Dingell’s Dearborn office at 313-278-2936. 

Dingell has been a leader in calling for TPS for Yemeni people and ensuring humanitarian assistance for the country since her start in Congress. Last month, Dingell led a group of 22 of her colleagues in calling on the Biden-Harris Administration to extend and re-designate TPS for Yemen, which she also has urged for in years past, due to the ongoing armed conflict within the country. In May, Dingell led 78 members of Congress in calling for an end to the Yemeni blockade. Dingell also called for an extension and re-designation of Yemen TPS in 2019.

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