A key Democratic leaders of Congress said today that he supported a measure to “short term” to refugees from Haiti to stay in the United States.
“The Haitians need a country where they can live long term, but I think it must consider what might be done in terms of humanitarian access, and what criteria, for stays of short term,” said Steny Hoyer, leader of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
This ally of President Barack Obama but added later that there was “no specific proposal at this stage” and warned it would “not prejudge the action to be undertaken.
On short term measures, “there is something to implement, but we must estimate the number” of people who would be affected, he said to reporters.
Washington granted a temporary asylum on humanitarian grounds, to Haitians who were without valid papers in the United States at the time of the earthquake, January 12, to enable them to work.
But this measure does not apply to any refugees arriving after January 12, including the Minister of Internal Security, Janet Napolitano, warned they would be repatriated.
