WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Trump administration’s decision to extend Temporary Protected Status of Haitian immigrants (all times local):
2:35 p.m.
The Trump administration said Monday it will extend until January a humanitarian program that has allowed roughly 58,000 Haitians to live in the United States. But it is hinting that further extensions are unlikely.
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says conditions in Haiti have improved since the 2010 earthquake. Advocates for the Haitians say conditions remain poor.
Kelly says he has not made a final decision about the fate of the protection program for Haiti. A decision will be made later this year.
Haitian participation in the program has been regularly renewed for 18-month intervals and the latest extension expires in July. The renewal announced Monday is for only six months and Homeland Security officials said Haitian immigrants should start getting their affairs in order, including acquiring travel documents.
___
12:13 p.m.
The Trump administration is extending humanitarian protections for Haitian immigrants living in the United States until at least January.
The Temporary Protected Status for 50,000 Haitians was set to expire in July. A U.S. government official says the Trump administration has agreed to extend it by at least six months.
The status protects the Haitians from deportation. It was implemented after a 2010 earthquake devastated parts of Haiti.
The official was briefed on the decision but not authorized to publicly disclose details in advance of an announcement.
Haitian-Americans, lawmakers and the Haitian government have urged the Trump administration to leave the protections in place. They say the country is still not ready to take back immigrants who have been living abroad.
___
Balsamo reported from Los Angeles
Please read our comment policy before commenting.