Immigration Relief for Tsunami Affected Nationals
Posted Jan 14, 2005
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The affects of the December 26, 2004 Tsunami have not been limited to the individuals in the Asian countries where it came ashore. They have been felt by nationals from those countries who find themselves on U.S. shores, as well. Many of those individuals are now stranded in the United States, unable to return to their home countries given the overwhelming damage and devastation there. The U.S. government, via the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has offered some limited immigration relief to certain nationals.
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Extensions of Status and Stays of Removal
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DHS announced on January 10, 2005, that it will extend limited immigration assistance to many of the foreign nationals presently in the United States who are  facing removal, requesting extensions of stay or changes of status, etc. Essentially, they will stay the removal of persons from Sri Lanka and Maldives for 90 days. They will consider such requests from others who are from affected areas. They will extend the statuses of visitors and others in the U.S. and expedite processing of certain pending cases to provide relief.
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U.S. Should Extend Additional Relief
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The U.S. government's intervention and the temporary relief that has been provided to nationals of the affected countries is appreciated, but it is insufficient. The DHS should consider extending relief to Indonesia, Maldives, certain regions of India, Thailand, and all other affected countries and should designate such countries, or regions within the affected countries, for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Secretary of DHS has the authority to designate countries ravaged by the Tsunami for TPS.
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In fact, just this week the DHS has once again extended TPS to nationals of El Salvador who were affected by a series of earthquakes in 2001. Surely the DHS and the Administration should consider that the devastation and the substantial disruption to the living conditions in the countries left reeling from the Tsunami meet, if not surpass, the standards and intent behind the TPS programs. TPS is designed for precisely this type of situation - where the temporary effects of an environmental disaster render persons unable to safely return to their home countries.