WASHINGTON (AP) – El Salvador’s top diplomat said the end of special protections for about 250,000 Salvadoran immigrants in the United States underscores the need for legislation that would let them stay.
Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez said he is confident that the U.S. Congress will develop a permanent fix by September 2019, when Salvadorans will be required to leave the country or face deportation.
The diplomat said his government’s efforts to improve conditions in El Salvador will send a signal to U.S. counterparts.
Jean Manes, El Salvador’s ambassador to the U.S., said there is now more urgency to improving conditions in El Salvador, with about 12 percent of its citizens living in the United States.
Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday that damage inflicted by a 2001 earthquake in the Central American country didn’t justify another temporary extension.
She said that El Salvador has received significant international aid and that much of the country’s infrastructure is rebuilt.
The decision, which is being championed by immigration hardliners and criticized by immigrant rights groups, left thousands of people shaken and uncertain about their families’ futures.
Neilsen said the 18-month delay gives Congress time to address the issue.
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