http://www.cis.org/north/haiti-tps-extended
Amnesty for all Haitians who arrived legally or illegally in the U.S. by January 12 of this year has been offered by the Department of Homeland Security.
Previously this form of amnesty, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), had been available to Haitians who were here on January 12, 2010, at the time of the earthquake in that country. Now the arrival date has been extended by one year. According to DHS about 48,000 had secured this status during the earlier amnesty, a number smaller than the government had expected.
The announcement came in http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1305643820292.shtm and in a teleconference featuring Alejandro Mayorkas, the Director of USCIS, at about the same time.
The press release describes the “you all come” announcement in the most restrictive terms.
Instead of saying all Haitians in the nation, legally and illegally, on Jan. 12 can legalize their status, the release says:
This re-designation of TPS only applies to those Haitians who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011 . . . Haitians who attempt to enter the United States now or in the future will not be granted TPS . . .
“Only” means the entire illegal alien population from Haiti, except for those who arrived in the last four months. In terms of prior legalization programs, which required years of continuous presence, this is a very sweeping offer. Further, the announcement of the new amnesty did not come until the fourth paragraph of the press release.
http://www.cis.org/north/haiti-tps-extended