Rep. Ilhan Omar Announces State of the Union Guest
WASHINGTON–Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN) will be joined at the 2019 State of the Union address by Linda Clark from Minnesota's 5th District. Clark came to the United States in 2000, after fleeing Civil War in her home country of Liberia. A resident of the United States for over 18 years, Clark is now threatened with deportation because of President Trump's decision to terminate Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberian Americans.
DED allows recipients to obtain a work permit and travel out of the country if they have advanced permission, but provides no path to legal status or citizenship. As a result of Trump's decision, thousands of Liberian Americans could be removed from the U.S. at the end of March if DED is not renewed. Minnesota is home to the largest community of Liberian Americans of any state in the nation.
"Linda is exactly the type of American success story we should celebrate—someone who came to this country seeking a better life, played by the rules, and built a life for herself," Rep. Omar said. "I am pleased to have her join me at the State of the Union and urge the Trump Administration to renew DED status for Liberian Americans. The President himself has expressed open hatred towards people fleeing what he calls ‘shithole countries' like Liberia and Haiti and now he is acting on it. I hope by hearing the stories of people directly impacted he can at long last find some empathy."
"Because of DED, I have been able to build a life for myself in the country I now call home," Clark said. "I left my family in the midst of a Civil War in my home country of Liberia nearly 20 years ago—and have been able to build a life for myself in Minnesota. Donald Trump should be ashamed of himself for deliberately targeting people like me and the thousands of Liberian-Americans who call our country home. I am honored to join Representative Omar at the State of the Union to call attention to this hateful decision—and hope the President will listen to my story."