Mass Exodus of Liberians from US will destabilize Liberia-says US Congressmen

04/24/07 By Samuel Togba Slewion

Liberia is recovering from a 14-year civil war with no adequate basic social services, including electricity, housing and pipe-borne water and staggering unemployment rate of 85 percent as well as literacy rate of 80 percent, but its social structure could be further destabilize if 10,000 Liberians on temporary protective status in the United States are forced to return home when their status terminate in October, 2007.

This was the picture painted by three United States Congressmen, Rep.-D Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan, on Thursday, April 19, 2007 in Washington DC when they introduced in the US Congress a Liberian Bill known as S656 in the US House of Representative and HR 19 in the US Senate. The Bill seeks to grant permanent status to Liberians on TPS in the United States.

Taking the podium one at a time in front of crowd comprising Liberian government officials, national officers of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) and community leaders, Congressman Ellison said "a mass exodus of Liberians at this time will destabilize Liberia itself and we do not want to destabilize the country by sending an influx of people at one time to that country."

Congressman  Ellison represents the State of Minnesota in the US Congress, which comprise over 30, 000 Liberians and mostly those resettled from refugees camps who fled the country as a result of the Liberian civil war. “Most of the immigrants in my state, including Liberians, are working in the health care sector and providing services for our older generation who need these services in their senior year. We therefore cannot afford to let this sector suffers from this inhumane act of mass deportation," he said.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Senator Jack Reed, both of whom are Democrat from Rhode Island have been in the vanguard of pushing for the enacting of the Liberian Bill for over four years, but the Bill is no longer a fight for the Democrats as a Republican Congressman Tim Walberg of Michigan, has joined the effort to prevent the termination of the TPS for Liberians, who could face similar fate as was done in the case of Sierra Leoneans over two years ago. Many Sierra Leoneans affected have either been deported or forced to go underground playing cat and mouse with officials of the Homeland Security. 

Congressman Walberg brings a personal relationship with a Liberian family to this bi-partisan effort because he and his wife hosted a Liberian named Richard Sao Jayweh who immigrated to Liberia several years ago and resided in their home. “I have a personal story about the situation of Liberians living in the United States because my wife and I hosted in our home a young Liberian man who made it his obligation to get his education and one day return home to help his country."

Congressman Walberg then expressed his support for the Liberian Bill and promised to galvanize the support of other colleagues to support the Bill because “Liberians are doIng a lot of great things in this country and we can learn from them."

Chanting "yoh...yoh and bartee...oh....bartee,” Liberian slogans used to electrify a crowd, Rep. Kennedy, flanked by Amb. Charles Minor, Liberian Ambassador to the United States and officials of ULAA, including the National President, Emmanuel Wettee, and three Liberians serving in the US Military, who have seen action in Iraq, in a compassionate advocacy mode said "many Liberians have fled their homeland due to the civil crisis and the country is yet to fully recovered  and therefore the United States cannot add insult to injury by forcing them to return to a country that is still struggling to get back on its feet."

Besides the bi-partisan support the Liberian Bill is receiving for the first time, history was also made when the Liberian government for the first time put its support behind the Bill through a formal letter sent to Rep. Kennedy and delivered by Amb. Minor, who premised his statement with a usual Liberian slogan “what’s the matter with Rep, Kennedy?" and the crowd responded" He's alright." Amb. Minor asked again "who say so?" and the Liberians responded "everybody."

Amb. Minor then told the crowd that the return of Liberian citizens as refugees is an important part of the recovery and rebuilding process, but unfortunately “Liberia is not in the position to absorb them in their numbers and to provide them the amenities they require inclusive of housing, health and education facilities and jobs."

He said Liberia also needs its citizens abroad to continue to acquire the education, skills, and know-how not adequately available at home today, which will benefit the country in near term. "The Legislation under consideration will most certainly keep families together, help in the realization of the American Dream for thousands of young people and punctuate the character of this immigrant nation," the Liberian top diplomat concluded his statement.

While it appears that the Liberian Bill this time has engendered enthusiasm and momentum across Liberian communities in the United States, the battle for the passage of the Bill rages on as many member chapters of the ULAA continue to organize awareness programs and engage their policy makers, including Congressmen, as part of activities of  the month of April declared as National Immigration Advocacy Month by the Union through a Proclamation issued by National president Wettee early this month following a National Immigration Conference held in Trenton, New Jersey on March 31.