The Immigration and Naturalization Service has offered relief for people in deportation from countries devastated by Hurricane Mitch. The INS will hold off on removing affected people until January 7, 1999. The covered countries are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

According to the INS, "The extension of the temporary suspension through January 7, 1999 gives the Central American countries and the international humanitarian assistance efforts that are underway time to work on the urgent recovery needs of the region. The Administration is closely monitoring conditions in these countries and will re-evaluate the situation in January."

The INS is also considering the possibility of granting parole status to detained illegal immigrants from affected Central American countries as long as the detainee has no criminal record.

Other immigration problems related to Hurricane Mitch have also become apparent. Asylum applicants and others in the US seeking to return home to find out the fates of loved ones will, unfortunately, be risking losing their asylum claims if they return home. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of Central Americans in the US that fit that profile. Readers are strongly advised to speak to an immigration lawyer before making the return trip.

Elaine Lomis, an INS spokeswoman recently told the New York Times, "I would never tell them what to do. But if we were having a secret conversation, I would tell everyone to stay firm and try to communicate through telephone, letters, Internet, any other means possible until they adjust their status."