Of every six people who live in Maryland, one was born outside the U.S. Sixteen per cent. Many have been here legally through something called TPS, Temporary Protected Status. TPS has allowed about a million people from countries torn by war, civil unrest and natural disasters to live in the U.S.legally -- and to work legally in the U.S.
Shortly after he was inaugurated in January, President Trump signed an executive order directing officials to limit TPS, on the grounds that the temporary relief from deportation dragged on far after the initial crisis in many of the 17 countries eligible.
This month the Trump administration revoked TPS for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, which means more than half a million people from those countries no longer have the right to be or work in the U.S. We talk with Jaime Contreras, executive vice president of the union 32BJ SEIU. Among other duties, Contreras heads 32BJ’s Capital District --21-thousand members in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC; its members are cleaners, maintenance workers and security officers in commercial and government buildings, arenas, airports, and educational facilities. We ask Contreras how this will affect union members.
