Senate Resolution 103 - Introduced SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 103 BY McCOY A Resolution urging the United States Congress to enact 1 legislation that creates a roadmap to permanent 2 status for temporary protected status recipients. 3 WHEREAS, temporary protected status (TPS) is an 4 immigration status permitted by section 244 of the 5 federal Immigration and Nationality Act under which 6 the federal government grants legal immigration status 7 to people from certain countries afflicted by natural 8 disasters, war, or other dangerous conditions; and 9 WHEREAS, TPS currently protects approximately 10 437,000 people in the United States from 10 countries 11 who would otherwise be deported to areas suffering from 12 disease, violence, starvation, the aftermath of natural 13 disasters, and other life-threatening conditions; and 14 WHEREAS, the largest groups of TPS recipients are 15 from El Salvador with approximately 195,000 people, 16 followed by Honduras with approximately 57,000 people, 17 and Haiti with approximately 50,000 people; and 18 WHEREAS, TPS recipients in Iowa and their families 19 have been significant, contributing members of 20 their communities and local economies for nearly 20 21 years; and 22 WHEREAS, ending TPS will devastate the United States 23 economy, with estimates including a $3 billion cost 24 to taxpayers for deporting TPS recipients from El 25 Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti; over $45 billion in lost 26 gross domestic product over a decade due to the lost 27 productivity of these individuals; $6.9 billion in lost 28 -1- LSB 6022XS (3) 87 je/rn 1/ 2

S.R. 103 Social Security and Medicare contributions; and close 1 to $1 billion in turnover costs incurred by employers 2 for the wholesale termination of the employment of this 3 population; and 4 WHEREAS, terminating TPS before home countries 5 are sufficiently recovered will have a profoundly 6 destabilizing effect that will be felt in countries 7 in need, by their neighbors, and at the United States 8 borders, as more people flee their countries to save 9 their lives and the lives of their families; and 10 WHEREAS, the United States has a history of 11 contributing to instability in countries covered by 12 TPS; and 13 WHEREAS, the federal Department of Homeland Security 14 has already denied extension of TPS status to several 15 countries, meaning that current recipients will lose 16 their ability to work legally in the United States and 17 will be at risk of being deported back to dangerous 18 conditions in their home countries; NOW THEREFORE, 19 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate 20 respectfully requests that the Iowa congressional 21 delegation work to enact legislation that creates a 22 roadmap to permanent status for TPS recipients and the 23 millions of other immigrants in the United States; and 24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the 25 Senate shall distribute copies of this resolution to 26 the members of the Iowa congressional delegation. 27 -2- LSB 6022XS (3) 87 je/rn 2/ 2