The bill by Senator Jack Reed and Congressman David Cicilline aims to prevent Liberians, whose temporary status in the US will soon expire, avoid deportation. Thousands of Liberians have been living in the United States since the outbreak of the civil war that claimed 250,000 lives. Some of them have also held temporary status due to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in 2014. “It is shameful that President Trump wants them to now choose between leaving the United States voluntarily or facing the threat of deportation,” said Congressman Cicilline. Liberia’s nascent recovery efforts could be reversed if these remittances end, harming the United States’ foreign policy interests in the region, according to some US media.

Source: Front Page Africa February 14, 2019 19:18 UTC