Leadership Journal

September 26, 2008

Temporary Protected Status Extensions

Earlier this week, the Department announced the extension of temporary protected status (TPS) for certain foreign nationals from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Those three countries are still recovering from the devastating effects of natural disasters. For Honduras and Nicaragua, it was Hurricane Mitch in 1999. For El Salvador, it was a series of severe earthquakes in 2001.

To qualify for an extension, the TPS holder is required to re-register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Specific re-registration instructions for TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua will soon appear in the Federal Register.

There are currently 70,000 Hondurans, 3,500 Nicaraguans and 229,000 Salvadorans with TPS in the United States.

Today’s announcement continues the United States’ long tradition of providing relief to our visitors who, for reasons beyond their control, can’t return to their homes.

Jonathan “Jock” Scharfen
Acting Director, USCIS

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posted by DHS at 12:20 PM

11 Comments:

  • Jack, Jack, Jack...my goodness...you know as well as I that they will NEVER go home once you start this nonsense. We do not need to bring the entire country here every time they have a rain storm in some nasty 3rd world country. If they cant figure out what to do when it rains...by all means they certainly must have their own country to run.

    If you want us to really support some of this...then put out an item in the newspapers when the GO HOME also. Get a big group of your leaders including the ICE Princess, Myers in front of some big Fed building and announce:

    REFUGEES GOING HOME.


    And you better severely rethink this Somali thing. They are very dangerous and will glom onto the CAIR to cause you endless problems ie, as they are now. Its apparent we will likely have to clean up using our 2nd amendment eventually.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 27, 2008 9:40 PM  

  • Thank you Mr. Director for considering humanitarian conditions in immigration policies. This welcoming nation will certainly benefit from this act generosity toward people unable to return to their countries of origin.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 29, 2008 12:42 PM  

  • Dear Director Scharfen:

    Your great effort in getting the TPS for these designated countries besieged with natural disasters and/or calamities is evidence of your hard works to humanity. However, I want to use this medium to bring to your notice that my Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative petition (SRC-07-140-51475) I filed on behalf of my wife, since March 13, 2007 is now outside the processing time (currently, USCIS, Texas Service Center, is processing those filed on November, 10, 2007). On June 18, 2008 and September 30, 2008, I called and spoke to several of your personnel about what I could do to get this case moving forward and as of this moment, nothing has been done to resolve it. At this time, I'm asking for your help to get this case brought to a conclusive end. Thanks, Sincerely, J.J.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 30, 2008 9:26 PM  

  • Good move to provide protection to our neighbors. But don't you think that justice demands that Haitians who can’t return to their homes should benefit from the United States’ long tradition of providing relief to our visitors? Why must the people of Haiti always be treated differently?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 2, 2008 1:16 AM  

  • Dear Director Scharfen:

    Thank you for extending a temporary halt to deportations to Haiti because of the devastation there from the recent cyclones. I urge you to grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian nationals currently in the U.S.

    Haiti provides a particularly compelling case for TPS. As you know, the devastation there from four tropical cyclones in three weeks is staggering. But even before the hurricanes hit, Haiti was uniquely fragile. Some cities had not recovered from Tropical Storm Jeanne, which killed 2000 people in 2004. Haiti was one of the hungriest countries in the world even before this year’s spike in global food costs. Food riots in April led to the resignation of the government. Haiti has also suffered from civil strife- one investigation found that over 4000 people were killed in political violence in 2004 and 2005.

    Deporting Haitians now will add Haiti’s burdens, by placing an unemployed person into an overwhelmed society. It will also endanger those deported, as they may not have a safe place to sleep or access to healthcare or food. Granting TPS for Haitians already in the U.S. will help them become part of the solution to Haiti’s crisis. They will be able to work in the United States, and send money to help their family members rebuild their lives, providing immediate humanitarian relief. You noted that extending TPS for nationals of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador “continues the United States’ long tradition of providing relief to our visitors who, for reasons beyond their control, can’t return to their homes.” Please extend this tradition where it is most needed and justified, to nationals of Haiti.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 2, 2008 12:23 PM  

  • you said you will not post any comments of personal attacks, well i think you just did not too long ago....i think it's wonderful to help third world countries as some call it....and i hope in the future THAT WE WILL NEVER have a level of national disaster so big that we will need help from another country telling us to go home and solve our own problems

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 2, 2008 6:42 PM  

  • Thank for the decision to extend TPS to refugees from Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. This is in the best humanitarian tradition of a true democracy. Haitians living in the US also deserve such status, as Haiti has been especially hard hit with hurricanes and floods and the third largest city Gonaives is a ongoing and complete disaster, similar to New Orleans after Katrina.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 5, 2008 11:39 AM  

  • "Today’s announcement continues the United States’ long tradition of providing relief to our visitors who, for reasons beyond their control, can’t return to their homes."

    Are these TPS "visitors" here on non-immigrant visas issued by AMCON?

    By Blogger JG1, At October 6, 2008 4:26 PM  

  • dear director i think it is great what you are doing to help other countries. I just don't really think that people who wrote the comment about sending people home have any clue about what is really going on. Maybe we should send people like him over to the not so furtunate countries to live for awhile maybe he would change his prejuduce way of thinking. Anyway keep doing a good job on helping out others who are less fortunate than us.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 7, 2008 10:27 PM  

  • Dear Director, Thank you for all of your humanitarian efforts. PLEASE HELP HAITI to receive temporary protected status.It would be a huge part of the relief effort- what struck me in an article was that Haiti is a country where children have long ago learned that crying does no good.Again, I ask you, pleae help and I thank you for all your efforts.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 13, 2008 10:05 PM  

  • I can please direct your resources to look at I-140 program run at NSC for EB3s.. We are worst sufferers..

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At October 22, 2008 11:19 PM  

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