New York Attorney General Letitia James has called on the federal government of the United States to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Jamaicans in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

The category 5 system struck the island on October 28 and killed at least 45 people.

In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), yesterday, Attorney General James urged the US administration to grant TPS for Jamaicans immediately .

A press release from the Attorney General’s Office outlined that TPS allows eligible individuals in the United States who are unable to return to their home countries to safely live and work in the US with legal status.

It said the US has previously granted TPS to immigrants from countries such as Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal following similar natural disasters.

Attorney General James highlighted that Hurricane Melissa caused unimaginable damage to Jamaica, displacing tens of thousands of people, destroying vital infrastructure, and severely limiting access to basic necessities.

She said forcing Jamaicans in the US to return home to a devastated island would be dangerous and cruel.

The Attorney General said situations like this are exactly what TPS was intended for, and the United States Federal Government should extend TPS to Jamaicans to help keep people safe while the island rebuilds.

According to the Attorney General’s Office in 1999 following Hurricane Mitch, the DHS designated Honduras and Nicaragua for TPS to protect residents of those countries from deportation due to the unsafe conditions in their home countries.

DHS also designated Haiti in 2010 and Nepal in 2015 for TPS following devastating earthquakes in both countries.