23819: (pub)Hermantin:Office: Statement on migrants wrong (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sat, Nov. 13, 2004




IMMIGRATION


Office: Statement on migrants wrong

Immigration officials said they read the wrong prepared statement when
announcing a decision on temporary protected status for Haitian migrants.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY

achardy@herald.com


South Florida Haitians were puzzled when a Department of Homeland Security
unit announced last week that it opposed a deportation reprieve for
undocumented Haitians -- but then retracted the announcement, calling it
``premature.''

Now, U.S. officials have explained what happened.

Angie Alfonso, press secretary for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services, said the mix-up occurred when an agency spokesman read the wrong
statement to The Herald after a reporter asked about the status of possible
temporary residence and work permits for undocumented Haitians.

Alfonso said the statement read erroneously was one of several prepared in
advance at her agency to deal with any possible determination of Temporary
Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians.

The statement read by mistake said that Homeland Security did not agree with
shielding undocumented Haitians from deportation and placing them under the
Temporary Protected Status program.

In fact, the department has not made a decision on TPS, which is granted by
the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of
State, for periods of up to 18 months to nationals of a country in crisis as
a result of civil strife or natural disaster.

Haitian community activists have asked for TPS because of devastation caused
by Tropical Storm Jeanne.

The premature statement proved particularly embarrassing because a story
about it was published on the same day that Haiti's interim prime minister,
Gerard Latortue, visited South Florida.

Earlier, Latortue had formally requested TPS for Haitian migrants.


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