Speech #1020052921

Mr. MOAKLEY. for sponsoring this worthwhile legislation. Last year in the 1990 Immigration Act. Congress created a program called Temporary Protected Status. This program gives the Attorney General the authority to allow foreign nationals of specified countries to remain in the United States temporarily if. because of war or other lifeendangering situations. it would be inhumane to require them to go back to those countries. Congress then specified in the 1990 act that the Attorney General was required to provide temporary protected status to nationals of El Salvador. The President signed the 1990 Immigration Act into law last November 29. but it took the Department of Justice a full 6 months to issue final regulations regarding the program. By that timeMay 22there were only 5 weeks left in the application period. Congress did not intend that the Salvadoran Temporary Protected Status Program would have. in effect. a five week application period. We expected the program to be up and running early in the year. That is the principle reason why H.R. 2332. which extends the application period until October 31. 1991. is deserving of our support. The simple fact is that even with a 4month extension. the Salvadoran Temporary Protected Status Program will have one of the shortest application periods of any immigration program in memory. The 1986 Legalization Program had a 1year application period. the 1986 CubanHaitian Program had a 2year application period. the 1986 Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program had an 18month application period. the 1990 Filipino World War II Veterans Citizenship Program has a 2year application period. and the application period for Liberians. Lebanese. and Kuwaitis who wish to apply for temporary protected status--the same status the Salvadorans receiveis one full year. When Congress creates a programany programit intends that it be implemented to the fullest and fairest extent possible. When those charged with implementing the program have been unable to meet that goal.