After the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Ethiopia had been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released a statement of support for the decision.

"I am glad the Biden Administration designated Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia today, allowing Ethiopians in the United States to remain and work in the U.S. for at least 18 months," the congresswoman said in a news release.

Omar has long been an advocate for the Ethiopian people, including for their designation of Temporary Protected Status. She and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) co-authored a letter in September 2021 urging the Administration expressly to establish TPS for Ethiopia.

Omar represents Minnesota's 5th Congressional District.

"Ethiopia is undergoing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Conflict and atrocities, combined with drought, flooding and dwindling food stocks are threatening the lives of more than 20 million people," she said. "Hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Along with a lack of fuel and communications blackouts, the violence has severely limited aid distribution."                

The congresswoman added, “There are more people living as refugees now than at any time since World War II, a number that is bound to soar ever higher as the climate crisis worsens. As a nation, we owe it to those fleeing oppression to guarantee protected status and to create a path to citizenship.”