TRANSCRIPT: Ocasio-Cortez Delivers Remarks at TPS For Ecuador Press Conference

Watch the full press conference here

Washington, D.C.- On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) joined a press conference hosted by Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) in collaboration with TPS for Ecuador National Coalition, Hispanic Federation, Voces Latinas, Jackson Heights Immigrant Center, and MomsRising. The members and advocacy groups gathered to ask the Biden administration to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ecuador ahead of the incoming Trump Administration.

Find Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's remarks as delivered below:

Hi, everybody, my name is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and we're here to fight for TPS.

That's what we're here to do. We want TPS. And we want TPS for our Ecuadorian community in Queens and across the country. It's so incredibly important. And I want to start off by saying good morning to everybody.

Thank you to the Hispanic Federation and TPS for Ecuador for bringing us together today. And thank you to Voces Latinas and Jackson Heights Immigrant Center for coming to DC from my district, our shared district here, NY's 14th congressional district, for advocating for our Ecuadorian neighbors and community. Thank you for all that you have done so our neighbors can get their start here in the United States.

Representative Espaillat, Menendez, and myself join here today to reaffirm what was said in a letter to the Biden administration back in March, which is that we ask this administration to take action now and issue Temporary Protected Status designation to Ecuador.

Since 2022, thousands of Ecuadorians fleeing gang violence and increased rates of poverty have come to our shores seeking asylum, family members recount horror stories of extortion, kidnapping, and murder of loved ones in the midst of a political crisis. The International Rescue Committee reports 20% of children under the age of two in Ecuador are now chronically malnourished.

New York's 14 Congressional District is proudly home to one of the largest Ecuadorian communities in the United States and I can tell you, for all the rhetoric that there is about immigrants and Ecuadorians and our Latino community, I can tell you, as a representative of one of the largest Ecuadorian communities in the United States, of one of the largest immigrant communities in the United States, and of one of the largest Latino communities in the United States, that these communities are so important to our economic production, our cultural value, and who we are as a nation. And I can tell you, as a representative of our Ecuadorian community here in New York's 14th Congressional District, that we need our Ecuadorian community and that we need our immigrant community.

And when people talk, especially elected officials, about the issue of undocumented Americans.

One thing that we say is that we agree being undocumented is a problem, but our solution, instead of turning the military on our own people, is to document them. To document the undocumented. Pretty simple.

We could waste money and resources trying to remove one of the most economically productive communities in the United States, one of the most culturally valuable communities in the United States, or we can document them, and that's what we're here to fight for today. In addition to DACA and the Dream and Promise Act, we need to fight for TPS for Ecuadorians. They are here. They are opening small businesses. They are paying more taxes than a lot of corporations do in this country. I'll tell you that much, and we should make sure that we embrace our communities, so we're here to fight for them.

After Venezuela, Ecuador has been the second highest source in the country for asylum seekers living in New York City since 2022. We have a legal right to seek a better life here, but we have all heard the harmful rhetoric coming from many of our colleagues from across the aisle and Donald Trump has made it clear that he will waste no time initiating a mass deportation initiative on day one upon taking office. Between deploying the military to conduct mass deportations to sending militias into our communities, the next administration is determined to remove those who serve as the backbone of our local economies and communities and tear our families apart.

Last year, the Biden Administration approved redesignation for Venezuelans, allowing thousands of pathways to work authorization and out of New York City shelters. And that's another message that we have for folks who are seeing the overwhelm of our shelters and the overwhelm of our public systems. We have a simple response: let people work. Let people work.

We must afford Ecuadorian asylum seekers the same opportunity. A TPS designation now will provide the over 450,000 Ecuadorian immigrants fighting a fighting chance to start their paperwork before a hostile administration takes more.

We thank the Biden administration for increasing assistance to the Ecuadorian government earlier this year, and we ask them now to designate TPS for Ecuador to help keep New York 14 and families across the country-one in 15 families who are mixed status in this country-together and give so many of our constituents a chance to make their way, work in a documented fashion, and start a life in our beloved country.

Thank you very much, and I yield back.

Find quotes from other members and local and national leaders below:

"Thank you to each of the advocates who stood with us today as champions of our call to designate TPS for Ecuadorian families here in the United States," Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). "Ecuadorians are contributing to the success of our nation, and we stand united to call on the Biden administration to grant TPS as one of its priority acts before leaving the White House in an act of solidarity for the Ecuadorian community here in the U.S. when they need our help the most."

"We are standing here today because lives are on the line. As an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador, I know firsthand the fear and uncertainty that comes with living in the shadows. Ecuador is facing the deadliest crisis in its history, and deporting undocumented Ecuadorians now would be a death sentence for many. For 16 years, I have called the United States home. I have fought to build a life, contribute to my community, and advocate for policies that protect and uplift immigrants like me. Temporary Protected Status for Ecuador is not just a policy-it's a lifeline. President Biden, the time to act is now. Protecting immigrant families is not just the right thing to do-it's an urgent necessity. Our lives depend on it." said Anghy Idrovo Castillo, lead coordinator TPS for Ecuador National Coalition and prospective TPS holder

"Community organizations like Voces Latinas and Jackson Heights Immigrant Center are ready to assist Ecuadorian families with their TPS applications. Over the past two years, we have helped more than 4,000 individuals with their asylum, work authorization, and TPS applications. We don't just see these as applications; we see real people and families striving to build a life in the US. Everyone deserves a life free from violence," said Nathaly Rubio-Torio, CEO of Voces Latinas.

"We know that if the Trump administration's mass deportation policy is implemented as proposed, it will indiscriminately target migrants across the country. There is a narrow window of time when the Biden administration can take action to mitigate some of the most egregious harms the next Trump administration will do to our most vulnerable communities. Ecuador is currently experiencing significant economic and political unrest, resulting in a spike in violence in the country. This is why Hispanic Federation is calling the Biden administration to provide Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to undocumented migrants from Ecuador, many of whom were forced to flee their home country because of the unchecked human rights abuses," said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of Hispanic Federation."Through TPS, refugees from Ecuador can find safe harbor in the United States and obtain the proper work authorization to enable them to provide for themselves and their families while contributing to our society."

"I was raised in Queens, NY, but born in Ecuador. I am the oldest of three. I graduated magna cum lade in political science from Hunter College. Although I was a straight-A student, my lack of status limits my future. I come from a family of mixed-status. My younger sisters are US citizens. They worry about my parents, my grandparents, and me. Sadly, Ecuador is in turmoil with uncontrollable crime and a complete collapse of the criminal justice system," Camila Ruilova, prospective TPS holder and member of Jackson Heights Immigrant Center. "My family has been here for over 20 years, and with the new administration, we are facing deportation. My family would be ripped apart. We ask Biden to act now and protect my family and families like mine."

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Issues:EconomyForeign PolicyImmigration