Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure

Order Code RS20844 Updated February 23, 2006 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS WebSeptember 18, 2008 Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues Ruth Ellen Wasem Specialist in Immigration Policy Domestic Social Policy Division Karma Ester Technical Information Specialist Knowledge Services Group Summary When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in spots around the world, concerns arise over the safety of nationals from these troubled places who are in the United States. Provisions exist in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to offer temporary protected status (TPS) or relief from removal under certainspecified circumstances. The United States currently provides some type of blanket relief from deportation or forced departure provides TPS to nationals from seven countries: Burundi, El Salvador, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Somalia, and Sudan. All currently have Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Under INA, the Executive Branch and Sudan. Under the INA, the executive branch grants TPS. Congress, however, has also granted TPS legislatively, and legislation that would grant TPS to nationals of specified countries has been introduced in the last several Congresses. Relevant bills in the 109th Congress include H.R. 60, H.R. 257, H.R. 334, H.R. 342, H.R. 2592, H.R. 4073, and S. 297; no action has occurred thus far on these billspertaining to TPS has received action in the 110th Congress. Background The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides that all aliens (i.e., persons who are not citizens or nationals of the United States) must enter pursuant to the INA. The major categories of aliens are immigrants, refugees and asylees (all admitted for or adjusted to legal permanent residence), and nonimmigrants (admitted for temporary reasons, e.g., students, tourists, or business travelers). Aliens who lack proper authorization are generally of two kinds: those who entered the United States without inspection according to immigration procedures, or those who entered the United States on a temporary visa and have stayed beyond the expiration date of the visa. Unauthorized aliens of both kinds are subject to removal. Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress CRS-2 As a signatory to the United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (hereafter, U.N. Protocol), the United States agrees to the principle of nonrefoulement, which means that it will not return an alien to a country where his life or freedom would be threatened. Nonrefoulement is embodied in several provisions of U.S. immigration law. Most notably, it is reflected in the provisions requiring the Attorney General to withhold the deportation orgovernment to withhold the removal of aliens to a country in which the alien’s life or freedom would be threatened CRS-2 on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.1 Provisions in the INA for withholding removal can be traced back to the 1950s. The legal political opinion.1 Humanitarian Migrants Not all humanitarian migrants are eligible for asylum or refugee status. The legal definition of asylum in the INA is consistent with the U.N. Protocol, which specifies that a refugee is a person who is unwilling or unable to return to his country of nationality or habitual residence because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. The The definitions of refugee and asylee are essentially the same in the INA, with the notable difference being the physical location of the persons seeking the status. Those who are in the United States or at a U.S. port of entry apply for asylum, while those who are displaced abroad apply for refugee status. The standards of proof and minimum thresholds are similar, but the procedures and priorities for refugee admissions are quite different. The current procedures and guidelines for admitting refugees and for protecting aliens already within the country (i.e., asylum or withholding deportation) were enacted as part of the Refugee Act of 1980.are quite different.2 If the motivation of the migrant is determined to be economic improvement rather than the political reasons that underpin the legal definition, the person is not considered eligible for asylum. This distinction is sometimes difficult to discern, because persecution as well as war may lead to economic hardships, and economic deprivation may trigger persecution or insurrection. Since factors such as extreme poverty, deprivation, violence, and the dislocation brought on by famines or natural disasters may evoke a humanitarian response, the term “humanitarian migrants” encompasses all those who emigrate to the United States for such reasons, including those who receive asylum.23 The concept of “safe haven” embraces humanitarian migrants. It covers those who may not meet the legal definition of refugee but are nonetheless fleeing potentially dangerous situations. Safe haven also assumes that the host country, in this instance the United States, is the first country in which the fleeing alien arrives safely, or is the country where the alien is temporarily residing when the unsafe conditions occur. Safe haven is implicitly temporary in nature because it is given prior to any decision on the long-term resolution of the alien’s status. It is also a form of blanket relief because it is premised on more generalized conditions of turmoil or deprivation in the country of origin, in contrast to the individual circumstances weighed in the case-by-case asylum process. In terms of permanent residence over the long term, the United States endorses the internationally held position that voluntary repatriation is the best outcome for refugees. Resettlement in the country to which the asylum seeker fled is considered a secondary option, and resettlement in a third country as the last alternative. 1 §208 of INA (8 U.S.C. §1158); §241(b)(3) of INA (8 U.S.C. §1231); and §101(a) of INA (8 U.S.C. §1101(a)(42)). 2 2 CRS Report RL32621, U.S. Immigration Policy on Asylum Seekers, by Ruth Ellen Wasem, and CRS Report RL31269, Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy, by Andorra Bruno. 3 The term “humanitarian migrant” is not defined in the INA, nor, in this context, is it meant to imply that a sympathetic policy response is warranted. Rather, it refers to factors underlying the alien’s justification for immigration. CRS-3 In terms of permanent residence over the long term, the United States endorses the internationally held position that voluntary repatriation is the best outcome for refugees. The international community ranks resettlement in the country of first asylum as the second desirable option, and resettlement in a third country as the last positive alternative. Temporary Protected Status Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is the statutory embodiment of safe haven for those those aliens who may not meet the legal definition of refugee but are nonetheless fleeing — or reluctant to return to — potentially dangerous situations. TPS is blanket relief that may may be granted under the following conditions: there is ongoing armed conflict posing serious serious threat to personal safety; a foreign state requests TPS because it temporarily cannot handle the return of nationals due to environmental disaster; or there are extraordinary and temporary conditions in a foreign state that prevent aliens from returning, provided that granting TPS is consistent with U.S. national interests.34 The Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with the Secretary of State, can issue TPS for periods of 6 to 18 months and can extend these periods if conditions do not change in the designated country.45 To obtain TPS, eligible aliens report to U.S. Citizenship and Immigrant Services (USCIS) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), pay a processing fee, and receive registration documents and a work authorization. The major requirements for aliens seeking TPS are proof of eligibility, (e.g., a passport issued by the designated country, continuous physical presence in the United States since the date TPS went into effect, timely registration, and being otherwise admissible as an immigrant). The regulation specifies grounds of inadmissibility that cannot be waived, including those relating to criminal convictions and the persecution of others.56 Aliens who receive TPS are not on an immigration track that leads to permanent residence or citizenship. The “temporary” nature of TPS is apparent in the regulation. INS has made clear that information it collects when an alien registers for TPS may be used to institute exclusion or deportation proceedings upon the denial, withdrawal or expiration of TPS.67 Moreover, the TPS provision in the INA states that a bill or amendment that provides for the adjustment to lawful temporary or legal permanent resident (LPR) status for any alien receiving TPS requires a supermajority vote in the Senate (i.e., three-fifths of all Senators) voting affirmatively.7 3 §244 of INA (8 U.S.C. §1254a). 48 Other Blanket Forms of Relief In addition to TPS, the Attorney General has provided, under certain conditions, discretionary relief from deportation so that aliens who have not been legally admitted to the United States may remain in this country either temporarily or permanently. The statutory authority cited by the agency for these discretionary procedures is generally that 4 §244 of INA (8 U.S.C. §1254a). 5 Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296), the former Immigration and Naturalization Service was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. As a part of this transfer, the responsibility for administering the TPS program was transferred from the Attorney Attorney General in the Department of Justice to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. This program in now administered by the Bureau of Security (DHS). DHS’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) administers TPS. 6. 5 8 U.S.C. §240. 67 Ibid. 7 §244(h) of INA (8 U.S.C. §1254a). CRS-4 Other Blanket Forms of Relief In addition to TPS, the Attorney General has provided, under certain conditions, discretionary relief from deportation so that aliens who have not been legally admitted to the United States may remain in this country either temporarily or permanently. The statutory authority cited by the agency for these discretionary procedures is generally that8 §244(h) of INA (8 U.S.C. §1254a). CRS-4 portion of immigration law that confers on the Attorney General the authority for general enforcement and the section of the law covering the authority for voluntary departure.89 Such blanket relief is an exercise of the discretion of the Attorney General , and thus, the Secretary of State need not be consulted. Prior to the enactment of TPS, the Attorney General provided relief by means of the suspension of enforcement of the immigration laws against a particular group of individuals. The two most common discretionary procedures to provide relief from deportation have been deferred departure or deferred enforced departure (DED) and extended voluntary departure (EVD). The discretionary procedures of DED and EVD continue to be used to provide relief the Administration feels is appropriate, and the executive branch’s position is that all blanket relief decisions require a balance of judgment regarding foreign policy, humanitarian, and immigration concerns. Unlike TPS, aliens who benefit from EVD or DED do not necessarily register for the status with USCIS, but they trigger the protection when they are identified for deportation. If, however, they wish to be employed in the United States, they must apply for a work authorization from USCIS. Nationalities Receiving Temporary Protections Aliens from sevensix countries currently have temporary protection from deportation. TPS. The estimated number of aliens currently protected range from 3027 Burundis to 225234,000 Salvadorans. Of those who currently have TPS, aliens from Liberia have had TPS for the longest period — since March 1991. Salvadorans. In 1990, when Congress enacted the TPS statute, it also granted TPS for one year to nationals from El Salvador who were residing in the United States. Subsequently, the Attorney General, in consultation with the State Department, granted TPS to aliens in the United States from the following countries: KuwaitLiberia from March 1991 to October 2007; Kuwait from March 1991 to March 1992; March 1992; Rwanda from June 1995 to December 1997; Lebanon from March 1991 to March 1993; the Kosovo Province of Serbia from June 1998 to December 2000; Bosnia-Herzegovina from August 1992 to February 2001; and Angola from March 29, 2000 2000, to March 29, 2003; and Sierra Leone from November 4, 1997, to May 3, 2004. Rather than extending Salvadoran TPS when it expired in 1992, the former Bush Administration granted DED to what was then estimated as 190,000 Salvadorans through December 1994.10 The first Bush Administration also granted DED to about 80,000 Chinese following the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 1989, and the Chinese retained DED through January 1994. OnIn December 23, 1997, President Clinton instructed the Attorney General to grant DED to the Haitians for one year. 8 due to country conditions.11 9 §240 of INA (8 U.S.C. §1229a); §240B (8 U.S.C. §1229c); P.L. 107-296 transfers administration to USCIS. CRS-5 In prior years, various Administrations have given EVD status to Poles (July 1984 to March 1989), Nicaraguans (July . 10 For historical analysis, see CRS Report 97-810,Central American Asylum Seekers: Impact of 1996 Immigration Law, by Ruth Ellen Wasem. (Archived report available upon request.) 11 In the past, EVD status has been given to Poles (July 1984 to March 1989), Nicaraguans (July 1979 to September 1980), Iranians (April to December 1979), and Ugandans (June 1978 to September 1986). Lebanese had been handled sympathetically as a group, getting EVD on a case-by-case basis since 1976, prior to receiving TPS from 1991 to 1993. Other countries whose nationals have benefitted in the past from a status similar to EVD include Cambodia, Cuba, Chile, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Hungary, Laos, Rumania, and Vietnam.9 CRS-5 Table 1. Countries Whose Nationals in the United States Currently Benefit from Temporary Relief from Deportation Country Status Dates Estimated Numbera Burundi TPS November 4, 1997 - November 2, 2006 30 El Salvador TPS March 2, 2001 - September 9, 2007 Honduras TPS December 30, 1998 - July 5, 2007 75,000 Liberia TPS March 27, 1991 - October 1, 2006 3,792 Nicaragua TPS December 30, 1998 - July 5, 2007 4,000 Somalia TPS September 16, 1991 - September 17, 2006 324 Sudan TPS November 4, 1997 - November 2, 2007 648 225,000 Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure Country Burundi El Salvador Honduras Liberia Nicaragua Somalia Sudan Status TPS TPS TPS DED TPS TPS TPS Dates November 4, 1997 - May 2, 2009 March 2, 2001 - March 9, 2009 December 30, 1998 - January 5, 2009 October 1, 2007 - March 31, 2009 December 30, 1998 - January 5, 2009 September 16, 1991 - September 17, 2009 November 4, 1997 - May 2, 2010 Estimated Numbera 27 234,000 78,000 3,600 4,000 300 500 Source: CRS compilation of USCIS data. a. Estimates based upon USCIS data for designated status or work authorizations. These approximate numbers do not necessarily include all aliens from the countries who are in the United States and might be eligible for the status. USCIS updates these numbers when it renews TPS for nationals from a given country. Issues Central Americans. In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, then-Attorney General Janet Reno announced on November 5, 1998, that she would temporarily suspend the deportation of aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. On December 30, 1998, the Attorney General designated TPS for undocumented Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the United States as of that date. The Administration maintained that Honduras and Nicaragua had such extraordinary displacement and damage from Hurricane Mitch as to warrant TPS. TPS was recently extended for both and is scheduled to expire on July 5, 2007. After Hurricane Mitch, Guatemalans and Salvadorans had their stays of removal extended for 60 days — until March 8, 1999. The Bush Administration decided to grant TPS to Salvadorans following two earthquakes that rocked El Salvador in winter 2001. Prior to leaving office in January, the Clinton Administration said it would temporarily halt deportations to El Salvador. Whether to grant blanket relief to nationals from neighboring Central American countries has perplexed policy-makers long before these recent earthquakes. Proponents of granting TPS to the Central Americans 9 To the best of our knowledge, this list includes all countries that have benefitted from some form of blanket relief since the 1950s. CRS-6 maintain it is an appropriate humanitarian response because people should not be forced to return to countries devastated by the natural disaster. Opponents fear TPS for those Central Americans in the United States would serve as a magnet to the millions of people displaced by natural disaster, prompting many of them to seek entry to the United States. Liberians. Liberians have had protections for the longest period, of those who currently have TPS or other forms of blanket relief from deportation, having first received TPS in March 1991. In 1999, approximately 10,000 Liberians in the United States were given DED after their TPS expired September 28, 1999. Their DED status was subsequently extended to September 29, 2002. On October 1, 2002, Liberia was redesignated for TPS for a period of 12 months, on August 6, 2003, it has continued to be extended, now until October 1, 2006.Liberians. Liberians had relief from removal for the longest period of those who currently have TPS or other forms of blanket relief from deportation. They first received TPS in March 1991 following the outbreak of civil war. In 1999, approximately 10,000 Liberians in the United States were given DED after their TPS expired September 28, 1999. Their DED status was subsequently extended to September 29, 2002. On October 1, 2002, Liberia was redesignated for TPS for a period of 12 months, and the status continued to be extended. On September 20, 2006, however, the Bush Administration announced that Liberian TPS would expire on October 1, 2007, and they were once again granted DED until March 31, 2009. Central Americans. Whether to grant blanket relief to nationals from neighboring Central American countries has perplexed policy makers for several decades. The only time Congress has specifically granted TPS was in 1990 to nationals of El Salvador. In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in November 1998, then-Attorney General Janet Reno announced that she would temporarily suspend the deportation of aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. On December 30, 1998, the Attorney General designated TPS for undocumented Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the United States as of that date because, they maintained, Honduras and Nicaragua had such extraordinary displacement and damage from Hurricane Mitch as to warrant TPS. Prior to leaving office in January, the Clinton Administration said it would temporarily halt deportations to El Salvador. In 2001, the Bush Administration decided to grant TPS to Salvadorans following two earthquakes that rocked El Salvador. Proponents of granting TPS to the Central Americans maintain it is an appropriate humanitarian response because people should not be forced to return to countries devastated by the natural disaster. Opponents fear TPS for those Central Americans in the United States would serve as a magnet, prompting many of them to seek entry to the United States. CRS-6 Peruvians and Colombians. Violence growing out of the drug war and insurgencies have prompted some to request TPS for nationals in the United States from Peru and Colombia. The proponents are not asserting that the governments of these countries are repressing people or violating human rights; rather, they maintain that illegal forces within the country are creating dangerous conditions that the governments have not been successful in remedying. Others maintain that many countries around the world are comparably dangerous and that conditions in Peru and Colombia do not warrant TPS. Tsunami-Affected Nations, Pakistan, and HaitiNations Affected by Natural Disasters. As a result of the natural disasters in recent years that devastated Peru, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Maldives, Tanzania, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Haiti, some have called for the Administration to grant TPS to nationals from these countries. Proponents maintained that countries. Most recently, attention has focused on the Carribean countries in the aftermath of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and a series of tropical storms. Proponents maintain that these countries could not handle the return of nationals due to the environmental disasters and that there are extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent these people from returning safely. Few have issued public statements in opposition, and the Administration repeatedly has not taken a position. Adjustment of Status. Because aliens granted TPS, EVD, or DED are not eligible to become legal permanent residents (LPRs) in the United States, a special act of Congress is required for such aliens to adjust their immigration status. For example, Congress enacted legislation in 1992 that allowed Chinese who had deferred enforced departure following the Tiananmen Square massacre to adjust to LPR status (P.L. 102404). Legislation enabling Haitians to adjust their status passed at the close of the 105th Congress (P.L. 105-277).10 Legislation that would allow nationals from various countries that have had TPS protection for a number of years to adjust to LPR status was introduced in past Congresses, but not enacted.11 In the 109th Congress, legislation pertaining to TPS — as well as adjustment of status for aliens covered by TPS — include H.R. 60, H.R. 257, H.R. 334, H.R. 342, H.R. 2592, H.R. 4073, and S. 297; no action has occurred thus far on these bills. crsphpgw 10 11 See CRS Report 98-270, Immigration: Haitian Relief Issues and Legislation, by Ruth Wasem. See CRS Report RL30780, Immigration Legalization and Status Adjustment Legislation, and CRS Report RS22111, Alien Legalization and Adjustment of Status: A Primer, both by Ruth Wasemto LPR status.12 Legislation that would allow nationals from various countries that have had TPS to adjust to LPR status has been introduced in past Congresses, but not enacted. Similar provisions have also been included as part of comprehensive immigration reform legislation.13 Legislation in the 110th Congress. As noted above, the House has passed legislation (H.R. 3123) that would extend Liberia’s TPS until September 30, 2008. The Senate’s stalled comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 1639) includes provisions that would have enabled many with TPS to adjust to LPR status. Other bills introduced in the 110th Congress pertaining to TPS include H.R. 552, H.R. 1941, H.R. 2962, S. 330, and S. 1903, none of which have been enacted.14 12 For example, Congress enacted legislation in 1992 that allowed Chinese who had deferred enforced departure following the Tiananmen Square massacre to adjust to LPR status (P.L. 102404). The 105th Congress passed legislation enabling Haitians to adjust status (P.L. 105-277). 13 See CRS Report RL33125, Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 109th Congress, coordinated by Andorra Bruno, and CRS Report RS22111, Alien Legalization and Adjustment of Status: A Primer, by Ruth Wasem. 14 See CRS Report RL34204, Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 110th Congress, coordinated by Andorra Bruno.