A delegation of 50 Garifuna migrant leaders are organizing a Garifuna Advocacy Day on April 17 in Washington, D.C., where they will advocate for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Honduras and Guatemala. The delegation is sponsored by Casa Yurumein, Hondurans Against AIDS, Sons of Livingston, Central American Black Organization (CABO), Familias Unidas en Acción, and CARECEN of Washington D.C., all of which are organizations in Alianza Americas’ network. This is the second year that the Garifuna population in the U.S. has held its advocacy day.

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The delegation will hold meetings with approximately 20 congressional offices, including the offices of Representatives Buddy Carter (R GA-01), Yvette Clarke (D NY-09), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D NY-14), Ritchie Torres (D NY-15), Adriano Espaillat (D NY-13) and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) among others. The objective of these meetings is to educate about the realities and challenges faced by Garifuna people, to address the root causes of migration from Honduras and Guatemala, and explain why it is necessary for the Biden administration to provide this humanitarian protection to Honduran and Guatemalan people currently living in the United States. They will also discuss the importance of more congressional representatives joining the Garifuna Caucus, which was the result of a years-long effort to establish and finally came to life in 2022.

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“Over the past 35 years, thousands of African-Central Americans have migrated from Garifuna lands. On this Garifuna Advocacy Day we will inform legislators about the priorities and urgent needs of our community. Most importantly, we need the support of Congress to urge the Biden administration to issue TPS designations for Honduras and Guatemala. TPS saves lives and keeps our families together in the United States, but it also provides stability for our families in our home countries,” said Mirtha Colón, president of Casa Yurumein and Hondurans Against AIDS.

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For interview requests with delegation participants, contact: Mirtha Colón 718-213-5439.

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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.