Stephanie Braconnier via UNSPLASH
All across shelters and makeshift displacement camps across Central America, families impacted by the flooding and devastation that followed Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota, keep arriving, in need of assistance.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies report over 4.3 million Central Americans - including 3 million Hondurans - have been impacted by Hurricane Eta alone, which struck Nicaragua on November 3rd. Those numbers rose when Hurricane Iota struck two weeks later, again in Nicaragua on November 16th.
The Red Cross America’s division described conditions as a "triple emergency” in Honduras and Guatemala of: hurricane Eta, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the years-long drought that has deeply impacted agriculture, making even subsistence agriculture, impossible across large sections of the region. The Red Cross says it is now readying for internal displacement, as well as migration across borders, as a result.
Giovanni Batz, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis says marginalized and oppressed groups such as Indigenous communities, Afro-descendants and Black communities all across Central America have been deeply impacted.
Batz, who is in touch with these impacted populations, spoke to Democracy Now about long ignored climate change warnings by the Indigenous communities that have gone unheeded, compounded now by deforestation and drought, have made conditions worse, especially for marginalized populations. In addition, extractive industries, along with its mega projects like hydroelectric plants, dams and mines, have caused environmental damage, even diverting, flooding and contaminating rivers.
Regional migration experts in advocacy and academia expect the multiple issues of poverty, drought, gang violence, instability, all now compounded by country-wide devastation from twin storms, will force more migration across borders. The election of Joe Biden, who has struck a decidedly more humane tone towards migrants and asylum-seekers, is also expected to play a role.
Last week, Representative Nydia Velázquez introduced a bill to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Guatemalans, Hondurans and Nicaraguans already residing in the US. TPS was created by the US Congress in the Immigration Act of 1990 to grant temporary immigration status to foreign nationals from designated countries in need of protection due to conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary temporary conditions.
In 1998 following Hurricane Mitch, Hondurans and Nicaraguans were granted TPS.
Despite this, the Trump administration has sought to end TPS and deport TPS grantees, including those who have resided in the US for decades. Of the Central American countries impacted by the twin storms, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua technically have TPS status through January 4, 2021. However, the Trump administration terminated their TPS designations, but those have not gone into effect as yet, contingent upon two active lawsuits.
Earlier this month, following hurricane Eta, Guatemala requested the United States allow Guatemalans already residing in the US to remain on humanitarian grounds.
The National TPS Alliance has called on the US government to immediately restore the TPS program and ensure immediate humanitarian relief for Central American countries. A spokesperson for the Alliance said the dire conditions in Central American countries point to the exact reasons why TPS was created - that of protection. ( AP, Democracy Now, Reuters)
