By Samuel Gebru
I broke the news yesterday that Department of Homeland Security would designate #Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status. Why did it take so long for this #TPS designation when we’ve been advocating for nearly two years for this with an abundance of evidence? Well, DHS was never the problem.
At least as of March 2022, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was actually open to TPS for Ethiopia. U.S. Department of State rejected and fought this in the interagency process. A senior official blatantly told me that TPS designation and releasing the #Tigray atrocity determination report were “bad for diplomacy.”
Since Fall 2021, under Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee’s leadership—or lack thereof—the State Department has played a destructive role in Ethiopia, working against long-term American interests in the Horn of #Africa. It has jammed the interagency process and kept Tigray off of President Joe Biden’s radar.
The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs and Assistant Secretary Phee in particular pursue the Ethiopia file arrogantly, thinking only they know the issues and how to have peace in Tigray. They pursue the same failed “peace talks” with no sanctions—only an idiot repeats the same mistake twice.
After enormous and sustained pressure from advocates and Members of Congress, DHS and the Biden Administration have done the right thing in designating TPS for Ethiopia. This program is a life saver for those who qualify. It doesn’t solve the crises in Ethiopia and it doesn’t bring peace to Tigray, but it states clearly that Ethiopia is an unsafe country, and it protects Ethiopian citizens in the United States, including Tigrayans and Oromos, from deportation. Thank you to everyone who fought for nearly two years to make this happen.