Once more, the clock is ticking for Aba Hamilton-Dolo and the 1,000 or more Liberian immigrants like her who have made Minnesota their home.
Left to right: Aba Hamilton-Dolo prayed with her family before dinner. Aba, like many Liberians, is living in limbo, unsure of whether she will be allowed to continue building her life here in Minnesota, in the U.S., or if she will ultimately be forced to pull up stakes and go back to Liberia.
Their temporary permission to live and work in the United States is to expire March 31. Barring an extension, about 3,600 Liberians across the country will be sent back to Liberia, a war-ravaged place where there is no electricity, no running water and an average life expectancy of 42 years.
Hamilton-Dolo, whose 4-year-old daughter was born in Minnesota and whose 15-year-old son has a green card, would face a heart-wrenching choice -- take her family from its Coon Rapids home or leave her children behind to be cared for by her husband and mother.
"Do I uproot my family and move back to Liberia, or do I choose to leave my kids here?" she asked.
Minnesota has one of the largest Liberian populations in the country, with the highest concentration living in the Brooklyn Park area.
