Deportations Loom as Deadline for Haitians Nears

US to Resume Deporting Haitians in January; More Than 61,000 Have Applied for Temporary Protected Status

The U.S. government's abrupt decision to resume deporting Haitians also will deter others without criminal records from applying to temporarily stay and work in the U.S., cutting off a lifeline to quake survivors, they said at a rally in Miami's Little Haiti.

"Without letting us know they'll resume deportations to Haiti, at a time when Haiti is living under its gravest crisis, it's so unfair," said Marleine Bastien, executive director of Haitian Women of Miami. "It's supposed to be a progressive government. We're gravely disappointed by this."

More than 61,000 Haitians have applied for temporary protected status, which allows illegal immigrants from countries experiencing armed conflict or environmental disasters to stay and work in the U.S. for 18 months. Only those who were already living in the U.S. illegally when the earthquake struck Jan. 12 are eligible.

More than half the applications have come from Florida, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Officials have said they expected 70,000 to 100,000 Haitians to apply before the Jan. 18 deadline.

Meanwhile, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Dec. 10 that deportations are set to resume next month for Haitians who have completed their criminal sentences, in coordination with Haiti's government.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/20/world/main7169831.shtml