Temporary U.S. immigration status urged for Filipinos after typhoon, including those already here illegally

Advocates are putting pressure on the U.S. government to grant temporary refuge to Philippine nationals because of Typhoon Haiyan.

Only Filipinos already in the U.S. would be eligible for temporary protected status, which is granted to foreign nationals following natural disasters or civil wars. Recipients, who would include tourists and students with valid visas as well as Filipinos now in the country illegally, would be allowed to live and work in the U.S. for a designated period ...

The 2001 earthquake in El Salvador, the 2010 Haitian earthquake and the 1999 hurricane in Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as the Somali civil war that began in 1991, are among the disasters that have triggered TPS. Citizens of those nations have received extensions up to the present, prompting criticism that TPS is not actually temporary ...

Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, which supports restrictive immigration policies, said the U.S. should provide refuge to people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. But he opposes the TPS system because of the recurring renewals ...

One member of the Pilipino Workers Center has two brothers whose houses were completely destroyed and who have little to eat besides root vegetables, Soriano Versoza said. A temporary work permit would put the woman, who is in the U.S. illegally and works as a caregiver for the elderly, in a better position to help her family ...

U.S. Department of Justice 

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