Protesters gathered outside US Citizenship and Immigration Services in Little Haiti May 21 to call for extended temporary protection service (AFP Photo/JOE RAEDLE)

Washington (AFP) - More than 58,000 Haitians who stayed in the United States with a special protected status since a catastrophic 2010 earthquake will be allowed to stay another six months, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. Secretary Kelly said that “after careful review of the current conditions in Haiti and conversations with the Haitian government, I have decided to extend the designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status for a limited period of six-months.”

DHS officials said Kelly had obtained the commitment of Haitian authorities that, when conditions permit, Haitian citizens who now enjoy that protection will be accepted back to their country in order to help with its reconstruction. The Obama administration first granted protections to Haitians who arrived in the United States within a year of the devastating earthquake and the group's status has since been extended. Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration, said he was grateful Kelly and the Trump administration gave the six-month extension, but added, “It still leaves many Haitian families in the United States in an insecure and vulnerable position, particularly with respect to ensuring legal work authorization (during that extended period).”

“Extending TPS serves an important humanitarian role by providing for the safety, well-being, and stability of Haitians living in the United States,” he said in a statement. US extends Haitians’ Temporary Protected Status for another 6 months

Washington, May 22 (EFE).- The US government announced Monday a six-month extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 58,000 Haitians who fled their country following the devastating earthquake of 2010.
The temporary protected status of Haitians living in the United States is extended for six months.