U.S. Extends Legal Status For
Central Americans
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government has
decided it will allow people from Nicaragua,
El Salvador and Honduras to stay another 18
months in the U.S. with temporary legal
status.
The temporary protected status granted
people from Nicaragua and Honduras who were
in the U.S. before Dec. 30, 1998, was due to
expire July 5, 2010. The new expiration date
is Jan. 5, 2012. The temporary legal status
has been extended repeatedly since Hurricane
Mitch devastated the region in 1998.
The administration says Nicaragua and
Honduras continue to recover from Hurricane
Mitch preventing them from adequately
handling the return of their citizens. The
Homeland Security Department has estimated
66,000 people from Honduras and 3,000 from
Nicaragua are eligible.
More than 200,000 Salvadorans were given
temporary protected immigration status in
the U.S. after earthquakes devastated the
country in 2001. Their status has been
extended several times since then.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Arturo
Valenzuela made the announcement on the
Salvadorans Wednesday during a visit to El
Salvador and hours after the U.S. government
said it will allow people from Nicaragua and
Honduras to stay another 18 months in the
U.S.
More than 200,000 Salvadorans were given
temporary protected immigration status in
the U.S. after earthquakes devastated the
country in 2001. Their status has been
extended several times since then. |
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