Trump ending special legal status for Liberian immigrants

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Tuesday, President Trump signed a memorandum that ends special legal status for certain immigrants who fled Liberia for the United States, effective next year.

Many of the immigrants have lived in the U.S. for decades, leaving Liberia because of war, economic conditions, and the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The memo Trump signed states that Liberia is "no longer experiencing armed conflict and has made significant progress in restoring stability and democratic governance." Immigrants have been eligible for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure since March 1991, and the special status will end on March 31, 2019.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.