23753: (pub) Esser: Haitians Don't Get Temporary Protected Status - TPS (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser <torx@joimail.com>

Immigration News Briefs
Vol. 7, No. 45 - November 6, 2004

NICARAGUANS, HONDURANS GET TPS, HAITIANS DON'T

On Nov. 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced
an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for
Hondurans and Nicaraguans until July 5, 2006. Only those who have
already been granted TPS--some 81,875 Hondurans and 4,309 Nicaraguans
who arrived following the 1998 devastation of Hurricane Mitch in
Central America--are eligible for the extension. Those eligible must
re-register for the extension during a 60-day period beginning on
Nov. 1. [USCIS 11/1/04]

On Nov. 4, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it is
recommending against TPS for Haitian immigrants in the US in the wake
of Tropical Storm Jeanne, which killed thousands in Haiti and left
many more homeless. "At this time, [DHS] does not believe it is
appropriate to recommend TPS for Haitian nationals" living in the US,
said USCIS spokesperson Dan Kane. Instead, immigration officials will
decide on a case-by-case basis whether to grant a temporary reprieve
from deportation for Haitians in immigration custody who have not
been convicted of aggravated felonies and who come from areas
affected by Tropical Storm Jeanne. A Bush administration official in
Washington said officials concluded that only a limited area of Haiti
was affected by Jeanne, whereas Honduras and Nicaragua were more
widely affected by Hurricane Mitch. [Miami Herald 11/5/04]