Zimbabwe Report
Push for TPS part of new Cat and Mouse regarding Zim
by Scott MorganThursday, September 29, 2005
During the Recent opening Plenary of the United Nations General assembly a group of Zimbabweans held both a demonstration against President Mugabe and stood in the busiest parts of Manhattan asking those that were passing by to sign a petition. a press release that was sent out via e-mail on September 18th announced the goal of the drive. They are asking the United States to grant TPS (Temporary Protective Status) to those here from Zimbabwe.
The effort is also online at www.zimbabweans.org the site contains information about the goals that they have, a brief highlight of the recent protest at the UN and a person can sign the petition there. There is a downside however. When a person does sign the petition it does not list what number they are in signing the document. a person could get the impression that they are the only one signing it. Let us hope many people do sign this document.
at this time as brief description of TPS is warranted. TPS is a process when aliens that are unable to return to their homeland because of factors like internal strife, an environmental disaster or other temporary extraordinary event occurs The attorney General could invoke TPS to these individuals. In 2002 a law was passed transferring this authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the USCIS (United States Citizens and Immigration Service) implements this.
When a country is designated under the TPS program those individuals from that country can remain in the USa and obtain work authorization. However it must be noted that TPS does not lead to a permanent residency status in the US. When TPS expires the individual returns to the immigration status that was held before TPS was invoked.
It has become apparent that President Mugabe is a shrewd political observer. While he was addressing the UN General assembly meeting in New York earlier this month the President castigated several countries as being racist. Specifically he was very critical of the Katrina aftermath in New Orleans saying the UN should send aid there instead of Zimbabwe where according to published reports the citizens are happy.
Recent reports that the State Department is taking a more aggressive approach to Zimbabwe. While the UN summit was underway there were reports that the US was modifying the list of those individual facing travel restrictions here in the USa. also there are new reports that the US will pressure China regarding Zimbabwe.
