Liberian-flagged cargo ship Songa Iridium is seen after it ran aground in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, December 27, 2019. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik

Liberian-flagged cargo ship Songa Iridium is surrounded by rescue ships after it ran aground in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, December 27, 2019. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik

Liberian-flagged cargo ship Songa Iridium is seen after it ran aground in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, December 27, 2019. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan

REFILE - CORRECTING DATE Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, previously named Grace 1 (rear), sails past Liberian container ship Spica as it is anchored, after the Supreme Court of the British territory lifted its detention order, in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Liberian President George Weah seen during a celebration marking the new Democracy Day, a national holiday in honour of late M.K.O Abiola in Abuja, Nigeria June 12, 2019 REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

Liberians leave church in the snow after a worship service in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder and Liberian community activist Famatta Zeon (2nd L) talks with fellow community leaders including immigration leader Erasmus Williams (2nd R) in their community center in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S. March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Liberian immigrant and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Marie Zar prays during a church service in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S., February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Snow covers school fields in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S., February 12, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

As snow blanketed African markets, churches and graves in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in February, members of the Liberian community were praying fervently that this would not be their last winter in the United States. A form of immigration status known as Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) - which had protected the migrants from deportation and allowed them to work legally - was due to expire in March, meaning they would have had to leave the country voluntarily or be deported. It was all part of the effort by President Donald Trump's administration to widen its crackdown on legal and illegal immigration to the United States. Days before the March deadline, Trump granted Liberians a reprieve to last through March 30, 2020. Though relieved, community members recognized that the clock was simply reset for the thousands of Liberians who fled civil war and instability in their home country in the 1990s and early 2000s. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: USA-IMMIGRATION/LIBERIAN

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder and Liberian community activist Famatta Zeon, with her daughter Grace, visits Brooklyn United Methodist Church to thank the congregants for their support on the Sunday morning after the DED status was extended in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., March 31, 2019. Zeon, 43, a local Liberian organiser, had worked furiously throughout winter to lobby the government and raise awareness of her community's plight. "There are some families who have been here 23, 25 years on this status," she said. "We've worked here, we've paid our taxes, we have homes here. We don't want our children to be put in the system here. We have tried our honest best to work here and not be dependent on the system." REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Grace Zeon, a U.S. citizen by birth whose parents are Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders, plays a game on her father's phone as she waits to go to church the Sunday morning after her DED status was extended in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S., March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Annie Yonly attends a thanksgiving service with her children, who are U.S. citizens, on Sunday after her DED status was extended, meaning they were not in immediate danger of family separation, in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, U.S., March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Marie Zar closes the curtains at her apartment before she leaves for work the day after U.S. President Donald Trump granted a one-year extension of her immigration status, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. Zar, who has been in the United States for nearly two decades, works in the healthcare industry - she is a nurse's assistant, who also picks up shifts at the local hospital as an interpreter for Liberian patients. The money she makes supports nearly two dozen family members in Liberia. She said her family's lives will be upended if her DED status ends. "My nieces are going to school from the money I make here," Zar said. "We don't know what's going to happen. We're not sure what's going to happen to us." REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders and supporters attend a thanksgiving service on Sunday, after the DED status was extended, meaning they were not in immediate danger of family separation, in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, U.S., March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders and supporters hold a DED prayer service at Christian Life Center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Marie Zar prepares for work the day after U.S. President Donald Trump granted a one-year extension of her immigration status, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. Zar, who has been in the United States for nearly two decades, works in the healthcare industry - she is a nurse's assistant, who also picks up shifts at the local hospital as an interpreter for Liberian patients. The money she makes supports nearly two dozen family members in Liberia. She said her family's lives will be upended if her DED status ends. "My nieces are going to school from the money I make here," Zar said. "We don't know what's going to happen. We're not sure what's going to happen to us." REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Annie Yonly and fellow Liberian activists walk to offices on Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Annie Yonly, flanked by U.S. presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), becomes emotional as she addresses Liberian activists as they rally outside of the U.S. Capitol after a day spent lobbying members of Congress in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Grace Zeon, whose parents are Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders, holds a sign at the DED rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

National Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) activists meet the night before lobbying members of Congress in Washington, U.S., March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Under a painting depicting the U.S. Civil War, Liberian immigration activists Erasmus Williams and Kamaty Diahn learn that their scheduled meeting with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was cancelled, the day after the DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status was extended for one year by the Trump administration, at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders and supporters dance during a thanksgiving service on Sunday after the DED status was extended, meaning they were not in immediate danger of family separation, in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, U.S., March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status holder Annie Yonly sits with fellow Liberian activists Kamaty Diahn and Pastor Moses Punni as they lobby a congressional staff member on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder and Liberian community activist Famatta Zeon prays during a DED prayer service in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., February 22, 2019. Zeon, 43, a local Liberian organiser, had worked furiously throughout winter to lobby the government and raise awareness of her community's plight. "There are some families who have been here 23, 25 years on this status," she said. "We've worked here, we've paid our taxes, we have homes here. We don't want our children to be put in the system here. We have tried our honest best to work here and not be dependent on the system." REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Workers handle the lunchtime rush at the Africa International Market in the Liberian immigrant enclave of Brooklyn Park, MN, U.S., March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder and Liberian community activist Famatta Zeon jokes with fellow community leaders before an Organization of Liberians in Minnesota board meeting in their community centre in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. Zeon, 43, a local Liberian organiser, had worked furiously throughout winter to lobby the government and raise awareness of her community's plight. "There are some families who have been here 23, 25 years on this status," she said. "We've worked here, we've paid our taxes, we have homes here. We don't want our children to be put in the system here. We have tried our honest best to work here and not be dependent on the system." REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

People order Liberian stews for lunch at the Africa International Market in the Liberian immigrant enclave of Brooklyn Park, MN, U.S., March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Gabrielle Zeon, a U.S. citizen by birth whose parents are Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders, waits to go to church on the Sunday morning after her DED status was extended in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S., March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian women greet one another during their weekly Senior Day at the Organization of Liberians in Minnesota community centre in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S., February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian immigration activists, led by Erasmus Williams, Pastor Francis Tabla and Kamaty Diahn ask staff members why their meeting with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was cancelled, the day after the DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status was extended for one year by the Trump administration, at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holder Annie Yonly sits in a congressional hearing room as Liberian activists gather on Capitol Hill before lobbying members of Congress in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY.

A U.S. flag tops a noise barrier wall along an interstate highway in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, U.S. March 24, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status holders and their supporters hold a DED rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian immigration activists depart after their meeting with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was cancelled, the day after the DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) status was extended for one year by the Trump administration, at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian immigration activist Erasmus Williams walks to a meeting at the State Capitol the day after the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status was extended for a year by the Trump administration, in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian immigration activist Erasmus Williams drives to a meeting at the State Capitol the day after the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status was extended for a year by the Trump administration, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian immigrant Harrietta Bettie visits her family gravesite at Mound Cemetery, which dates to 1862 but now also makes room for the graves of African and Asian immigrants, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, U.S., March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Women depart in the snow after a Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst SEARCH "ERNST LIBERIAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Liberian activists sing and dance prior to their Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) immigration status rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. February 22, 2019. Picture taken February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Liberian activists take a selfie with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at a Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) immigration status rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. February 22, 2019. Picture taken February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Liberians participate in the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) immigration status rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. February 22, 2019. Picture taken February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) addresses Liberian activists as they rally outside of the U.S. Capitol after a day spent lobbying members of Congress for an extension of their Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) immigration status in Washington, U.S. March 14, 2019. Picture taken March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Liberian President George Weah attends the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France November 12, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

Liberian President George Weah attends the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France November 12, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

Liberian President George Weah attends the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France November 12, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

Liberian President George Weah attends the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France November 12, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

A Liberian demonstrator holds a sign during a protest in Monrovia, Liberia September 24, 2018. REUTERS/James Giahyue

People walk outside the headquarters of the Liberian National Police in Monrovia, Liberia September 19, 2018. REUTERS/James Giahyue

People walk outside the headquarters of the Liberian National Police in Monrovia, Liberia September 19, 2018. REUTERS/James Giahyue

Chinese President Xi Jinping (front C), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (front 3-L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (front L), KenyaÕs President Uhuru Kenyatta (2nd row L), TogoÕs President Faure GnassingbŽ (2nd row C), Malawi's President Arthur Peter Mutharika (2nd row R), Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio (last row L), Liberian President George Weah (last row C) and other African leaders clap during a group photo session during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2018 Beijing Summit in Beijing, China September 3, 2018. How Hwee Young/POOL Via REUTERS

Chinese President Xi Jinping (front C), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (front 3-L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (front L), KenyaÕs President Uhuru Kenyatta (2nd row L), TogoÕs President Faure GnassingbŽ (2nd row 2-L), Malawi's President Arthur Peter Mutharika (2nd row C), Guinea-Bissau's President Jose Mario Vaz (2nd row R), Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio (last row L), Liberian President George Weah (last row C) and other African leadersclap during a group photo session during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2018 Beijing Summit in Beijing, China, September 3, 2018. How Hwee Young/POOL Via REUTERS

Chinese President Xi Jinping (front C), South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (front 3-L), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (front L), KenyaÕs President Uhuru Kenyatta (2nd row L), TogoÕs President Faure GnassingbŽ (2nd row 2-L), Malawi's President Arthur Peter Mutharika (2nd row C), Guinea-Bissau's President Jose Mario Vaz (2nd row R), Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio (last row L), Liberian President George Weah (last row C) and other African leadersclap during a group photo session during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2018 Beijing Summit in Beijing, China, September 3, 2018. How Hwee Young/POOL Via REUTERS

Liberian President George Weah (L) shake hands with China's President Xi Jinping (R) before their bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 1, 2018. Nicolas Asfouri/Pool via REUTERS

Liberian President George Weah (L) shake hands with China's President Xi Jinping (R) before their bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 1, 2018. Nicolas Asfouri/Pool via REUTERS

Liberian-flagged container ship YM Increment, operated by Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Black Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Liberian-flagged container ship YM Increment, operated by Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Black Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attends a Reuters interview in Kigali, Rwanda April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana