After the destruction wrought by Hurricane Stan in Guatemala and an earthquake that hit Pakistan , officials from both countries are asking the United States to temporarily refrain from deporting undocumented citizens from their countries.  Activists from both groups are lobbying members of the Illinois Congress in Chicago , and seeking temporary protected status (TPS) for these immigrants.  Supporters of the temporary refrain believe that deportation would make an already difficult economic situation even worse.  Oscar Avila, of the Chicago Tribune reports that although the 2000 census revealed that immigrants from Guatemala and Pakistan amounted to 19,000 in the Chicago area, nationals from these countries have “become a disproportionately large focus of immigration enforcement.” 

TPS can be issued by either Congress of the Department of Homeland Security.  This status allows the immigrants to remain in the U.S. for a period of 6-18 months, and also allows for work permits to be acquired during that period.  This status may also be extended indefinitely.   

Opponents of this effort, such as Dan Stein of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, believe that TPS has become an excuse through which undocumented immigrants overstay their temporary status without being legally pursued.