The Obama administration announced Friday evening that it will allow an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Haitians living in the United States illegally to stay and work in the country for 18 months as part of its response to Tuesday’s earthquake. But officials warned Haitians that leaving their country now “will only bring more hardship to the Haitian people and nation.”
Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the decision to grant Temporary Protected Status — to illegal immigrants from Haiti who were living in the United States as of Jan. 12 — was a gesture of compassion and an attempt to ensure that the immigrants can continue to send money to their devastated homeland.
Full story: Government allows Haitians in U.S. illegally to stay for 18 months