Faces of Liberians in Minnesota: Round 1

I spent this weekend in Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis, Minnesota, doing research for a story on Liberian churches in the area.

What are Liberians in Minnesota talking about? Their immigration status. Formerly under Temporary Protected Status, many Liberians now are under Deferred Enforced Departure, or DED, which expires in March 2009. Recently a group of Liberians went to Washington, DC to lobby on this issue. But to limited avail. “No one wants to touch immigration until after the elections,” a prominent Liberian woman in Brookyln Park told me.

Eugene, 9, (left) and Isaac, 15. Eugene came to the US when he was 2. Isaac came when he was 12.