MADAM PRESIDENT, I COME TO THE FLOOR TODAY FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, BUT FIRST AND MOST PRESSING IS TO CALL AND ASK THE ADMINISTRATION TO EXTEND DEFERRED ENFORCEMENT DEPARTURE STATUS FOR A GROUP OF LIBERIANS. THIS IS A PRETTY UNIQUE SITUATION. SENATOR JACK REED WAS JUST ON THE FLOOR IN THE LAST HOUR TALKING ABOUT IT AS WELL. BOTH THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA HAVE A NUMBER OF LIBERIANS WHO DIDN'T JUST COME TO THIS COUNTRY. THEY DIDN'T COME TO THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY. THEY CAME TO THIS COUNTRY DECADES AGO, AND THEY CAME BECAUSE OF A CIVIL WAR IN THEIR COUNTRY OF LIBERIA. AND THEN AFTER THAT WAR WAS BASICALLY RESOLVED, THEY WERE ALLOWED TO STAY. SO THEY ARE ALL REGISTERED IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY ARE ALL WORKING LEGALLY IN THIS COUNTRY. AND THEY'RE IN A SPECIAL STATUS CALLED DEFERRED ENFORCEMENT DEPARTURE. AND EVER SINCE GEORGE H.W. BUSH, PRESIDENT, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, GEORGE BUSH OF COURSE AND PRESIDENT CLINTON, PRESIDENT OBAMA, EVERY ONE HAS ALLOWED THEM TO STAY. SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, SINCE THIS HAPPENED BACK IN 1991, THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING IN OUR COUNTRY FOR DECADES NOW. SOME OF THEM -- I MET ONE THAT WAS 65 YEARS OLD. SOME OF THEM ARE NOW 70 YEARS OLD. THEY HAVE OBEYED THE LAW. THEY HAVE PAID THEIR TAXES. AND IF THEY -- THEY TEND TO BE WORKING CONSISTENTLY. A LOT OF THEM ARE WORKING IN OUR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES IN MINNESOTA. THEY ARE WORKING IN OUR HOSPITALS. SOME OF THEM HAD HEALTH CARE EXPERIENCE IN LIBERIA BEFORE THEY CAME TO MINNESOTA. SO THEY ARE A THRIVING COMMUNITY WHO HAS INTEGRATED WELL INTO OUR STATE, INTO RHODE ISLAND. AND WE ARE A STATE THAT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 3% AND EVEN LOWER IN SOME OF THE AREAS WHERE THIS COMMUNITY IS WORKING. AND IT WOULD LITERALLY BE A BIG JOLT TO OUR ECONOMY, AND NOT TO MENTION IMMORAL IF THEY WERE SUDDENLY DEPORTED AND LOST THE LEGAL STATUS THAT THEY HAVE HAD LITERALLY FOR DECADES. SO UNLIKE SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WE TALK ABOUT WITH PEOPLE THAT MAYBE JUST CAME HERE -- AND I'VE WORKED SO HARD ON THE DREAMERS TO GET THEM A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP -- THIS IS A PRETTY UNIQUE SITUATION, AND SO WE HOPE THE ADMINISTRATION WILL BE PRACTICAL ABOUT THAT. AND THAT IS WHY SENATOR REED AND I ARE WORKING ON THIS ISSUE AND HOPE TO GET IT RESOLVED SINCE THEIR STATUS IS ENDING ON MARCH 31, AS IN JUST A FEW WEEKS FROM NOW. LIBERIANS ARE THE ONLY GROUP OF PEOPLE, AND IT IS THE ONLY COUNTRY WITH DEFERRED ENFORCED DEPARTURE, OR D.E.D., AS IT'S KNOWN, WHICH IS A TEMPORARY LEGAL STATUS THAT REQUIRES THE PRESIDENT TO REAUTHORIZE IT EVERY 18 MONTHS. SO ONE IDEA HERE IS THE PRESIDENT COULD REAUTHORIZE IT, AND THEN THEY COULD LOOK INTO IT MORE, AS THERE IS A LOT GOING ON, AS WE KNOW, IN OUR COUNTRY, AND A LOT OF CHANGES AT THE RIGHT NOW SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE. ONE IDEA IS THEY COULD ALLOW IT TO GO FOR ANOTHER 18 MONTHS AND THEN COME TO A CONCLUSION OF WHAT THEY THINK THEY SHOULD DO ABOUT IT. AS I MENTIONED, IN 1991, PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH FIRST ISSUED TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS TO LIBERIANS IN RESPONSE TO THE NATION'S CIVIL WAR. SINCE 1991 PRESIDENTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE HAVE EXTENDED LEGAL PROTECTION TO LIBERIANS IN THE U.S. UNDER EITHER T.P.S. OR D.E.D., THIS DEFERRED ENFORCEMENT DEPARTURE, BECAUSE OF CIVIL WARS, THERE IS THE EBOLA OUTBREAK AND OTHER INSTABILITIES. ALL LIBERIANS COVERED BY D.E.D. HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 2002. SO THIS ISN'T, AS I SAID, NEW PEOPLE COMING IN UNDER THIS STATUS. THIS IS PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN LIVING HERE WITH THE STATUS FOR DECADES. AS I MENTIONED, SOME ARE NOW IN THEIR 70'S, AND ALL OF THEM HAVE LIVED HERE LEGALLY, PAID THEIR TAXES, CONTRIBUTED TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND WORKED AT OUR EMPLOYERS. IF D.E.D. IS NOT EXTENDED BY MARCH 31, THEY WILL LOSE THEIR LEGAL STATUS AND WORK AUTHORIZATION AND FACE DEPORTATION. MINNESOTA, AS I MENTIONED, HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST LIBERIAN POPULATIONS IN THE COUNTRY. MANY OF THESE PEOPLE ARE BUSINESS OWNERS. THEY ARE TEACHERS. THEY ARE HEALTH CARE WORKERS. AND ACCORDING TO ONE ORGANIZATION, NEARLY 40% OF LIBERIANS IN MINNESOTA WORK IN OUR NURSING HOMES AS NURSES' ASSISTANTS AND OTHER SUPPORT STAFF. IMAGINE IF YOU TOOK THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AWAY JUST LIKE THAT ON MARCH 31 BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T HAVE LEGAL STATUS TO WORK, OUT OF THE NURSING HOMES WHERE THEY HAVE WORKED FOR DECADES. I'VE ALSO CALLED FOR ACTION ON THE LIBERIAN REFUGEE IMMIGRATION FAIRNESS ACT, A BILL THAT SENATOR REED HAS INTRODUCED EVERY CONGRESS SINCE 1999, AND I COSPONSORED THIS BILL. THE BILL WOULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE PERMANENT PROTECTED STATUS, INCLUDING A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP, FOR THOSE LIBERIANS WHO HAVE OBEYED THE LAW AND BEEN HERE IN THIS TEMPORARY STATUS FOR DECADES. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR TODAY. WE UNDERSTAND AND WE HOPE NEGOTIATIONS ARE ONGOING SO WE CAN HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION BILL. WE ARE SIMPLY ASKING THE ADMINISTRATION TO CONTINUE THOSE 18 MONTHS THAT HAVE BEEN STARTED BACK IN 1991 BY A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT. I MET WITH A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF OUR LIBERIAN COMMUNITY YESTERDAY. THEY ARE IN VERY BIG FEAR RIGHT NOW THAT THEIR LIVELIHOODS, THEIR FAMILIES WILL BE RIPPED APART, AND I AM HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO RESOLVE THIS AT LEAST FOR THEIR TEMPORARY 18-MONTH PERIOD.