Friday, May 13, 2011

Haitian quake refugees worry as U.S. visas expire - USATODAY.com

Haitian quake refugees worry as U.S. visas expire - USATODAY.com: Time is running out for many Haitians who came to the USA after the 2010 earthquake and now may be sent back to a country in chaos.

President-elect Michel Martell, who will be inaugurated Saturday, has an ambitious agenda to restore his country, but conditions are grim: hundreds of thousands still living in tents, scant public services, a stubborn cholera outbreak.

In the USA, meanwhile, many earthquake survivors are jobless, scrambling for medical care and relying on friends and family for food and shelter.

Visas are expiring, and immigration officials have not acted on most requests for a change in status that would let them stay in the USA and earn a living.