Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) is a coalition of five organizations that support liberal expansionist immigration policies. CUSP specifically advocates for granting temporary protected status (TPS) to immigrant and refugee groups to prevent deportations.

Advocacy

Communities United for Status and Protection develops leadership in ethnic and racial minority immigrant communities, educates U.S. Senators and their staffs on immigration issues, and builds connections between pro-immigration groups. ¹

CUSP advocates for the United States granting temporary protected status (TPS) and special student relief (SSR) to immigrants from countries undergoing crises. For instance, in 2022, CUSP advocated on behalf of Pakistani immigrants during an eight-week period of major flooding. CUSP also advocates for TPS and SSR status for Black Mauritanian immigrants who have escaped from slavery, and CUSP has endorsed a letter from Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and U.S. Representative Mike Carey (R-OH) pressing U.S. Congress to act on the issue. ^{2 3} In July 2022, CUSP co-signed an open letter asking President Biden and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to immediately grant TPS and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status for 18 months to Mauritanian refugees fleeing slavery. ⁴

CUSP advocated for the end of Title 42, a rule originating from the Trump administration and continued by President Joe Biden that deported immigrants from countries that recently had pandemics. CUSP considers Title 42 to be “racist” and “anti-black.” Title 42 was revoked in May 2023. ⁵

In December 2022, CUSP denounced the omnibus spending package for including provisions to increase funding for border security. ⁶

CUSP advocates for more “equity at the border,” meaning an end to alleged discrimination against non-white immigrants. As an example of such racism, CUSP points to the relatively favorable treatment of Ukrainian immigrants versus Haitian immigrants. ⁷ In May 2021, CUSP attended a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety Subcommittee regarding the application of TPS to 400,000 immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⁸

CUSP opposed the Trump administration’s revocation of TPS for immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. ⁹

After the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, CUSP spoke in support of Palestine and against Israel. In a Facebook post, CUSP wrote, “Black Palestinians exist. The level of racially based, systematic violence Israel uses against Palestinians is similar to what countless black Muslims have endured around the globe, including their ongoing surveillance in the U.S. We are all too familiar with the violence of apartheid regimes.” ¹⁰

Membership

As of February 10, 2024, Communities United for Status and Protection’s members are Adhikaar for Human Rights and Social Justice, African Communities Together, The Bridge Initiative, UndocuBlack Network, and the National Network for Arab American Communities .¹¹

Leadership

Carolyn Tran is the executive director of Communities United for Status and Protection. Tran previously ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for New York City Council District 25 in Queens, New York. Tran, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, is a member of VietUnity, a left-wing advocacy group for Vietnamese Americans. She more recently worked at Mekong NYC, a left-wing advocacy group in the Bronx. ^{12 13}

Funding

Communities United for Status and Protection has received funding from Neo Philanthropy. ¹⁴

1. “What We Do?” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/what-we-do/.
2. “TPS for Pakistan.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/tps-pakistan/.
3. “TPS for Mauritania.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/tps-for-mauritania/.
4. “RE: Urgent Request for new 18-month designations of TPS or DED for Mauritania.” Refugees. July 14, 2022. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://refugees.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NGO-Sign-On-Letter-to-the-Admin-re_-TPS-for-Mauritania.pdf.
5. “Call to Action: Tell the White House to End Title 42.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/end-title-42/.
6. Wilkins, Brett. “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez casts house Dems’ sole vote against omnibus spending bill.” Salon. December 25, 2022. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.salon.com/2022/12/25/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-casts-dems-sole-vote-against-omnibus-spending-bill/.
7. “Call to Action: Tell the White House to End Title 42.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/end-title-42/.
8. “U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety Hearing to Examine the Essential Role of Immigrant Workers in America.” Undocublack Network. May 12, 2021. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://undocublack.org/press-releases/2021/5/12/us-senate-committee-on-the-judiciary-subcommittee-on-immigration-citizenship-and-border-safety-hearing-to-examine-the-essential-role-of-immigrant-workers-in-america.
9. “Ramos & Bhattarai Litigation.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/ramos-bhattarai-litigation/.
10. “Communities United for Status and Protection.” Facebook. October 25, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=306243705514788&set=pb.100083874812489.-2207520000.
11. “We Are Cusp.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/we-are-cusp/.
12. “Carolyn Tran.” CUSP. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.wearecusp.org/carolyn-tran/.
13. “Meet Carolyn.” Carolyn Tran. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://www.carolyntran.us/about.
14. “Four Freedoms Fund Grantees.” Neo Philanthropy. Accessed February 10, 2024. https://neophilanthropy.org/collaborative-funds/four-freedoms-fund/grantees/.