Monrovia - With the fate of thousands of Liberians hinging on the approval or expiration of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) on March 31, 2018, thousands of Liberians in Minnesota will host a DED Solidarity Rally on Monday March 26, 2018, at Minnesota State Capitol in hopes of winning a last-minute miracle from U.S. President Donald Trump. DED is a temporary legal status renewed repeatedly over the last several years. IF YOU GO: The Liberian Community Solidarity Rally Will Be held at the Minnesota’s State Capitol | 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd | Saint Paul, MN 55155/ Time: Event: | Monday March 26, 2018 | 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mr. Abdullah Kiatamba, Executive Director of the African Immigrant Services (AIS) told FrontPageAfrica Saturday that Monday’s rally is organized to support and stand in solidarity with our community and thousands of Liberians whose DED status is now seriously being threatened as the deadline looms closer. “The rally is also a climax of series of activities and actions over the last several weeks. Last week, leaders of community groups and advocates traveled to the US Congress, to make a compelling case for DED, highlight the stories of DED recipients, and assess both the social and economic implications of the non-renewal of DED.” According to organizers, the Solidarity Rally will include testimonies from those directly impacted by DED, community leaders, partners and friends, organizing groups, etc. The event is a collaborative efforts of Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM), the African Immigrant Services (AIS), the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), the Liberian Ministers Association (LMA), among several others. Since 1991, Liberia has been continuously designated for either TPS or DED, due to unsafe country conditions preventing Liberians from safely returning. In 2007, President Bush directed that DED be granted to Liberian TPS holders, allowing them to remain in the United States for 18 months. Since then, DED for Liberia has been extended by all subsequent administrations - Democrat and Republican alike. Most recently, in 2016, the Obama administration extended DED for Liberia for an additional 18 months through March 31, 2018. Addressing the controversial memo suggesting that President Trump will not renew the DED for Liberians, Mr. Kiatamba said, unlike TPS, only the President of the United States has the power to approve the DED. “We have seen approval taking place in the eleventh hour, so we have every reason to treat this dystopian memo with a grain of salt.” According to the memo from the Office of the Consul General of the Republic of Liberia and the Liberian Business Association in the US, a request has already been made to the Liberian Embassy in Washington, DC for the Ambassador to visit Minnesota, the state with the largest concentration of Liberians in the U.S to show the Liberian government’s support, and talk to members of the community. The memo encouraged the Liberian embassy to create a toll-free 1-800 number to have Liberians on DED call in and leave a name and number. “The idea is to create a count of Liberians on DED in the United States. The Foreign Mission should put a plan in place to deal with the activities of ICE across the missions (New York, Atlanta, and Minnesota).” Kiatamba acknowledged that he is aware of the memo which he said was shared with the Liberian ambassador to the United States when a delegation of advocates, including the Union of Liberians in America paid a call. The ambassador reportedly said that she received it from the Liberian consulate in Minnesota, according to Kiatamba. “At that meeting, few of us made it clear that the author of the memo sounded like a merchant of despair, selling hopefulness and fear for an unknown reason.” Kiatamba’s hope hinges partly on the fate of South Sudan which won a late renewal at the eleventh hour last year. That decision came as the US ended temporary protected status for citizens of Sudan as of 2018 while extending it for citizens of South Sudan through mid-2019, the Department of Homeland Security. Temporary protected status allows nationals of certain countries, often facing armed conflict or major natural disasters, who are already in the United States to temporarily remain and work there. Both Sudan and South Sudan’s designations were due to expire on Nov. 2. Instead, Sudanese nationals were allowed to stay legally for another year, but then must leave. DHS urged them in a statement to use their remaining time to “prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States” or apply for other visa types allowing them to stay. South Sudan was the world’s youngest country when it became independent from neighboring Sudan in 2011 following decades of conflict. But the new nation dissolved into civil war less than two years later, after President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired his deputy, Riek Machar, a Nuer. Since then tens of thousands have died, and 3.5 million of the country’s 12 million citizens have fled their homes, creating Africa’s largest refugee crisis since Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Syria and Yemen are the other countries whose nationals can qualify for temporary protected status in the United States. Kiatamba says it is important for Liberians to not lose hope even with the eleventh hour approaching. “Should US senators, congressmen, and faith leaders across the US abandon a worthy cause, all because few low-level Liberian diplomatic officials are driven by an unknown agenda to discourage hundreds of advocates, organizers and allies across the United States, who are giving their best to make a powerful case for the extension of DED?” Kiatamba argued: “So many felt the same way about the TPS for South Sudan until President Trump approved of it almost in the eleventh hour. Civil rights leaders, including Dr. King, would have abandoned his cause because “some US official” told him that freedom for black was not possible. ULAA has called the statement of the consulate discouraging and disappointing, adding “that statement doesn’t represent the best of diplomatic leadership on this matter”. Meanwhile some 120 faith-based organizations and 509 faith leaders sent a letter to President Trump today, urging him to extend Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for nearly 4,000 Liberians for a minimum of 18 months. The current designation is due to expire March 31st. If not extended, thousands of Liberians would lose their work authorization and be vulnerable for deportation the following day. The consequences would be devastating, potentially tearing families apart and forcing parents to leave behind their children.The faith-based groups wrote: “Our call stems from our shared values rooted in our sacred texts to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger, the sojourner among us. As Leviticus 19:33-34 reminds us: “Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.” The group added: “Liberia remains unable to welcome the safe return of nearly 4,000 Liberians as recovery from the public health and infrastructure crises has been slow. We must respond by upholding our promises to the Liberian people and by allowing our Liberian brothers and sisters to remain here in the United States. As faith leaders and members of faith-based organizations across the country, we urge you to join us in standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our Liberian neighbors, and to extend DED.” DED allows certain Liberians to legally live and work in the United States. It was first granted to Liberians by President George W. Bush in 2007. Since then, every administration has extended DED in 12-, 18-, and 24-month intervals. The country continues to struggle to recover from civil war and political unrest, and faces ongoing food insecurity and public health crises like the recent Ebola and malaria outbreaks. Read more