| Washington Office requests the INS to
extend continued Temporary Protected Status to Hondurans and Nicaraguans
4/10/01
Washington Office Civil Rights/ Religious Liberties
Mailing List
ACTION ALERT - Letter Regarding Extension of TPS for Hondurans.
Along with other denominational offices and advocacy
groups, the PC(USA) Washington Office has signed on to the following
letter requesting the INS to extend continued Temporary Protected Status
to Hondurans and Nicaraguans. Advocates may want to write similar
letters to Attorney General John Ashcroft. The current TPS will expire
on July 5, 2001.
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TEXT OF LETTER
April , 2001
Attorney General John Ashcroft U.S. Department of Justice 950
Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20530
Dear Attorney General Ashcroft,
The undersigned organizations are writing to request that Temporary
Protected Status (TPS), designated for Hondurans in the U.S. prior to
December 30, 1998, be extended for an additional period. Recovery from
Hurricane Mitch - the natural disaster that led to the initial
designation of TPS - has not progressed to the point where Honduras can
safely absorb thousands of its nationals now in this country.
Conditions in Honduras warrant an extension of TPS. In November 1998,
Hurricane Mitch caused unprecedented, widespread destruction in
Honduras. Thousands were killed. Hundreds of thousands were left
homeless. Much of the economy was destroyed.
In January of 1999, Attorney General Reno designated eligible nationals
of Honduras for TPS. In her designation, she cited the
"environmental disaster" of Hurricane Mitch, and noted that
the storm had "substantially disrupted living conditions" such
that Honduras temporarily could nothandle the return of its nationals
from the U.S.
In May of 2000, TPS was extended for a 12-month period. The announcement
of the extension cited the "severe disruption to the living
conditions" that continued to exist at the time.
The current period of TPS is scheduled to end on July 5th, 2001. Despite
progress in the restoration of the country, severe disruption to the
economy and living conditions in Honduras continues due to the magnitude
of the original destruction, compounded by subsequent natural disasters
that have set back recovery efforts. Specifically, serious problems
continue to exist with the following:
Unemployment: Today, more than 30% of the population is still unemployed
or underemployed, according to official estimates. Housing: Housing
remains a serious problem, as some of the people made homeless by the
storm continue to live in temporary shelters. Water: Currently, 20-30%
of the urban areas that lost access to safe water supplies as a result
of the storm still have not had water service restored. Agriculture:
Production of bananas, meat, and basic grains has reached just 50% of
pre-Mitch levels. Tropical storm Keith in September 2000 destroyed over
700,000 acres of crops in Southern Honduras, and as a result imports of
basic grains must be increased. Approximately 86,000 people continue to
receive food assistance from the international community. Environmental
Degradation: Hurricane Mitch destroyed the soil and forests in extensive
areas of the country. As a consequence, 60% of Honduran territory today
is vulnerable to flooding and landslides, such as those that occurred as
a result of tropical storm Keith in September 2000.
Conditions are still such that Honduras cannot safely handle the return
of its citizens now protected by TPS in this country.
TPS has been vitally important to the reconstruction effort and to
maintaining stability in the region. An extension of TPS would therefore
be in the national interest of the U.S.
Temporary Protected Status and the work authorization that accompanies
it, has been a stabilizing influence and has played a crucial role in
the recovery efforts. Remittances to Honduras in the past three years
have increased by $250 million to $410 million, according to government
estimates. Unofficial figures place the amount even higher.
Remittancesto Honduras are the second largest source of foreign revenue,
and the impact on the population is widespread. By some estimates, a
quarter of the population receives at least a portion of its income from
remittances, mainly from family members in the U.S. These remittances
help support family members who may have difficulty finding employment
in the aftermath of the economic destruction caused by Mitch. The
remittances also provide capital for the startup of small business,
which in turn create employment.
Failure to extend TPS at this time would cut off remittances to hundreds
of thousands of families who may be relying on these remittances for a
substantial portion of their income. Because of the already high
unemployment, individuals now relying on remittances will have
difficulty replacing that lost income. The forced return of thousands of
Hondurans from the U.S. would greatly worsen the unemployment situation,
and the resulting social instability would likely increase migratory
pressures towards the U.S.
In conclusion, Honduras, with the help of the U.S. and other nations,
has made progress in recovering from Hurricane Mitch. Because of the
magnitude of the destruction, however, more time is needed before
citizens of Honduras can be returned safely and hope to have any
prospect of providing for their families. TPS has been a crucial element
in the recovery of Honduras and in maintaining the country's political
and social stability. Failure to renew TPS might jeopardize that
stability, and reverse progress the country has made since the end of
civil wars in the region. This would not be in the national interest of
the U.S.
For these and other reasons, we urge you to extend Temporary Protected
Status for Hondurans for an additional period.
Although this letter has focused on conditions in Honduras, we
understand that the Nicaraguan Government has also requested that TPS be
extended for Nicaraguan nationals in the U.S. Nicaragua also suffered
extensive damage from Hurricane Mitch, and Nicaraguans in the U.S. were
granted TPS for the same reason Hondurans were. Presuming conditions
warrant an extension of TPS for Nicaraguans, we hope you grant that
extension.
Sincerely,
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