Speaker Melissa Hortman and over 50 fellow Democrats in the Minnesota House are asking President Trump to extend federal protections for Liberians under the Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) program. In a letter to the president, Hortman says Minnesota has one of the largest Liberian populations in the country and an estimated four thousand in the state won’t be able to remain in the U-S if federal protections end. The program was put in place after two civil wars killed a quarter-million Liberians. The protections are scheduled to end March 31st.