Washington, DC – September 23, 2026 | The DC Values Coalition convened a briefing at the John Wilson Building for DC Councilmembers and their staff to examine the potential termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants and its legal, social and economic impact on DC families. Panelists Atenas Burrola Estrada, Deputy Program Director; Manuel E. Nussbaumer, Director of External Affairs at CARECEN DC; and Sandra Benavante, Advocacy Manager, discussed the devastating consequences that loss of TPS could have on the holders in the District, including families with U.S.-citizen children. Panelists explained that parents facing deportation could be forced to choose between leaving their children in the United States or taking them to a country they’ve never known. They also discussed the broader consequences of losing access to employment and health care and highlighted the legal and social services organizations such as CARECEN, Ayuda and the Amica Center provide to immigrant communities.
The panel also addressed the increasingly difficult immigration enforcement environment facing families in the DMV across the country. Panelists highlighted that since the start of the current administration, ICE detention centers’ population has gone up drastically. They described how most detained individuals are no longer eligible for bond and may need habeas corpus1 petitions in federal district court to seek release, while changes in case law, the rapid rescheduled hearing and inadequate notice have made immigration cases more difficult to navigate. The panel highlighted the need for the District to support immigrant families by protecting and extending REAL ID driver’s licenses for TPS holders and restoring the DC Health Link.
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1 Habeas Corpus– legal order that forces the government to bring a detained person before a court and prove that their imprisonment is lawful.