Our Team

At the heart of the TPS-DED Administrative Advocacy Coalition is a small but deeply committed team dedicated to protecting and expanding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for immigrant communities across the United States. Our team brings together legal expertise, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and strategic communications to advance humanitarian protections for Black and Brown immigrants. Meet the people who power our coalition's work every day.

Leadership and Vision

The coalition is guided by a leadership team that understands both the legal complexities of TPS and DED and the human stories behind these protections. Our staff works closely with community organizations, legal service providers, and directly impacted individuals to ensure that advocacy is grounded in real needs and lived experiences. By centering those most affected, we strive to build a movement that is both effective and accountable.

TPS and DED are temporary immigration statuses that allow individuals from designated countries to live and work in the United States when returning home is unsafe due to armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. However, these protections are often vulnerable to political shifts, and our team works tirelessly to defend them through administrative advocacy, coalition building, and public education.

Ramya Reddy: Campaign Coordinator

Ramya Reddy (she/they) leads the coalition as Campaign Coordinator, providing strategic policy support to diverse communities and coalition partners advocating for TPS and DED. In this role, Ramya works to advance humanitarian relief for Black and Brown immigrant communities, ensuring that policy recommendations reflect the needs of those directly impacted. Her approach is rooted in collaboration, recognizing that effective advocacy requires the voices of many.

Ramya is a Managing Policy Counsel with Masa Group, where she brings extensive experience in direct services providing immigration relief for undocumented immigrants in the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) area. Before joining Masa Group, Ramya served as a public interest fellow at Rising for Justice and contributed to a policy report on decriminalizing migration at the National Immigrant Justice Center. These experiences have given her a deep understanding of the intersections between immigration law, criminal justice, and human rights.

Originally from India, Ramya is a lawyer who earned her LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from Georgetown University Law Center. Her international perspective informs her advocacy, particularly on issues of global migration and the responsibility of nations to protect vulnerable populations. Independently, Ramya has organized advocacy actions calling for vaccine equity and accountability for human rights atrocities in India, demonstrating a commitment to justice that extends beyond U.S. borders.

"Our work is about more than policy—it's about people. Every TPS or DED holder has a story, a family, and a future that deserves protection. We advocate with that truth at the center."

Melissa Stek: Advocacy Communications Consultant

Melissa Stek (she/her) serves as an Advocacy Communications Consultant collaborating with Masa Group, bringing a wealth of experience in strategic messaging and public engagement to the coalition. As the founder of MountainGem Advocacy & Communications, Melissa has built a practice focused on social justice, helping organizations craft compelling narratives that drive change. Her work ensures that the coalition's message reaches policymakers, the media, and the public with clarity and impact.

Melissa's career spans multiple roles: social worker, organizer, educator, congressional staffer, policy advocate, and communications specialist. This diverse background gives her a unique ability to understand complex policy issues and translate them into accessible language for broad audiences. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Social Work from Calvin University, grounding her advocacy in a deep commitment to human dignity and community well-being.

Passionate about immigrant rights, racial justice, mental health, and gender equity, Melissa brings both professional expertise and personal conviction to her work. She is the proud great-granddaughter of immigrants and is mindful of the privilege and importance of knowing her family history—a perspective that fuels her dedication to ensuring that all immigrant families have the opportunity to thrive and be remembered.

A Collaborative Approach to Advocacy

The TPS-DED AAC operates on the principle that collective action is more powerful than isolated efforts. Our team works in close partnership with a wide range of organizations, including immigrant-led groups, legal aid providers, labor unions, faith communities, and civil rights advocates. By convening diverse stakeholders, we build consensus around policy priorities and amplify the voices of those most affected by TPS and DED decisions.

Our advocacy focuses on administrative actions—urging the executive branch to designate or extend TPS and DED for countries in crisis, and to ensure that existing protections are implemented fairly and efficiently. We also engage in public education to counter misinformation and highlight the contributions of TPS and DED holders to American society. Through webinars, policy briefs, and direct outreach to decision-makers, we work to create lasting change.

Why This Work Matters

TPS and DED are lifelines for hundreds of thousands of individuals who have built lives in the United States—working, paying taxes, raising families, and contributing to their communities. Yet these protections are often temporary and subject to political winds, leaving families in constant uncertainty. The coalition's work is essential to ensuring that these protections are not only maintained but expanded to cover additional countries facing crises.

For Black and Brown immigrant communities, the stakes are particularly high. Systemic inequities and historical injustices often compound the challenges faced by these communities, making robust advocacy for humanitarian relief all the more urgent. Our team is committed to centering racial justice in all aspects of our work, recognizing that true immigration reform must address the root causes of displacement and inequality.

Get to Know Us

We invite you to learn more about our coalition's mission and work by exploring our About page. There, you will find information on our history, our policy priorities, and how you can get involved. Whether you are a TPS or DED holder, an ally, or an organization seeking to partner with us, we welcome your engagement.

Our team is small but mighty, and we are proud of the impact we have made together with our partners. As we continue to advocate for just and humane immigration policies, we remain guided by the belief that every person deserves safety, dignity, and the opportunity to build a future. Thank you for standing with us.