Minnesota Liberians rally in effort to stay in U.S.

More than 1,000 Liberian immigrants took their plea on tour around the Twin Cities Tuesday, petitioning congressional offices for a reversal of a government order to leave the country by Oct. 1.

"We are bringing our people out so that everyone can see the human faces and know that real people are going to be affected," James Kollie, a Liberian leader, said at the office of Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad in Plymouth.

Crisscrossing the metro area in school buses and cars, the Liberians made their case in placard, prayer and song -- ending with a rousing rally at the State Capitol.

"We all came here with visas from the American Embassy," Washington Yonly of Brooklyn Park shouted, stirring the Liberians who seek to distinguish their cause from other immigration issues. "I am not a criminal. ... I am working and I have a home."

Kumba Karn, 39, of Brooklyn Park stressed Liberia's unique ties with the United States: The republic was founded by American slaves sent back to Africa when they were freed.

Karn waved a placard that said "America, Do Not Forget Your Ally," referring to Liberia's decision to allow Allied forces to use its coast as a base for World War II operations.

Others made pleas based on America's cherished family values.

Louise Stevens of Brooklyn Park said her son, Altony Marshall, plans to go to college after he graduates from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School this spring. In war-torn Liberia, there would be no job for him, let alone a college education, said Stevens, who took a vacation day from her work at Medtronic Inc. to join the demonstration.

Like Stevens, many in the crowd said they may leave their American-born children behind if they are deported. As U.S. citizens, the children are entitled to stay.

Ramstad and others in the Minnesota delegation are in Washington where Congress is in session. But Margaret Cavenaugh, who specializes in immigration issues for Ramstad, told the Liberians at the Plymouth office, "We will see that he gets the petition. He is considering your request."

'It's going to take a lot of effort'

Bills before Congress would allow Liberians who have been here temporarily to apply for permanent residency. Both of Minnesota's senators support the bills, as do House Democrats Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum.

In a conference call with the Liberians Tuesday, Ellison cautioned, "It's going to take a lot of effort" to get the bills passed at a time of intense controversy over immigration policy.

Since 1991, the Liberians have been allowed to live and work in the United States while their homeland was torn by brutal civil war. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced last fall that it was ending the permission, called Temporary Protected Status, effective this Oct. 1. It said Liberia is stabilizing now that U.N. troops are maintaining order there and a democratically elected government is beginning to rebuild.

Homeland Security hasn't said how many Liberians have to leave. By most estimates, there are at least 1,000 in Minnesota on temporary status and nearly 4,000 nationwide. Officials in Minnesota say that as many as 5,000 in the state could be affected, counting spouses and children of those ordered to go.

Minnesota also is home to thousands of Liberians who have become U.S. citizens or won permanent residency and won't be affected by the ruling. Many of those Liberians joined the demonstration Tuesday.

Milton Massaquoi of Blaine said he worries that Liberia's fragile security would collapse if thousands of unwilling expatriots were sent back. Among other reasons, the impoverished nation counts on money sent back from overseas. If those in America returned, the currency they send would not be there.

"The diaspora is critical to Liberia's recovery," said Massaquoi, whose job as a business banker for Wells Fargo helps support his siblings and his wife's parents in Liberia.

Sharon Schmickle • 612-673-4432 • sschmickle@startribune.com