NORCROSS, Ga. — This International Workers' Day, immigrant essential workers across the country are gathering to ask the Biden Administration for temporary protected status (TPS).
TPS would allow immigrants coming from countries with civil unrest to legally work in the U.S. for up to 18 months. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are the only Latin American countries that have TPS designation.
That includes Nohemy Martinez who is originally from Nicaragua and has been in Georgia for less than two years.
“I know what it’s like to start from scratch," she said in a Spanish interview that has since been translated into English. "I know what it’s like to grab a pot from the trash to be able to cook. I know what it’s like to miss even the plate you used to eat on back home."
Home is where Martinez remembers almost getting killed. She says leaving her country - and her parents - was the greatest fight of her life.
"I fought for my country, then the government broke into my house, destroyed everything, kidnapped my brother, sexually abused me," she recalled.
She sought asylum in Georgia nearly two years ago in the midst of Nicaragua's political and economic unrest.
Now, her current fight is getting fair pay and keeping her temporary protected status (TPS), which would allow migrants from countries with unsafe conditions to work legally in the U.S. There's been a renewed push to re-designate TPS for immigrants of such nations as continued dangerous living conditions and economic instability persists.
“I work, I pay taxes, I do everything a normal citizen has to do," Martinez said. "We get paid maybe $9, $10, $11 an hour to do the more complicated and dangerous jobs."
She’ll be surrounded by other Central American immigrant essential workers Monday afternoon, through an event at Mi Linda Managua restaurant in Norcross, hosted by CASA and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Luis Zaldivar, known as Lucho, is CASA's Georgia State Director.
“We have been told for a couple of months now that TPS for Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador was a top priority for Secretary Mayorkas," he said. "However, after months of having this conversation, we have not seen an announcement yet."
Lucho explains the impact TPS could have on the workforce.
"TPS is given to folks that come from countries that are going through a particularly strenuous situation," he said. "They're given two years to just have a driver's license and be able to work without fear of repercussions."
Lucho says temporary protected status workers add $22 billion in wages to the U.S. economy each year.
"We believe that is really important for the future of the economy. There is fear of deportation and people don't even complain when they are overworked and underpaid," he said. "We believe that TPS is a very first step. We know for a fact that at least 40,000 to 50,000 people will benefit from TPS and from other relief measures."
People, including Martinez.
"It’s either they give us that opportunity to be here and work, or send us back home to be killed," she said.
To learn more about CASA, click here.