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A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 10 January 2018

Salvadorans fear their country not prepared for returnees

fraction of the estimated in El Salvador were the
2 million Salvadorans liv- worst, he said. He suffered
ing there — would have to from depression and didn’t
leave by Sept. 9, 2019, un- want to leave his mother’s
less Congress came up with home. People told him a
a solution allowing them to 49-year-old man should
stay. not depend on his mother
The temporary protected to support him, so he start-
status program has been ed looking for work.
offered to citizens from a “I went everywhere, to res-
number of countries flee- taurants. I told them I had
ing natural disasters or oth- a lot of experience and
er instability. The affected that I spoke English, but
Salvadorans received the they rejected me,” he said.
status after earthquakes in Eight months after arriving,
2001 killed more than 1,000 Castro finally found work at
people. Thousands more the Salvadoran Immigrant
who arrived in the United Institute. The non-profit
States in recent years flee- group recognized the val-
ing gang violence were not ue of Castro’s bilingualism
eligible. and the experience he
Castro went to the United had gained through the
El Salvador immigrants Diana Paredes, left, and Isabel Barrera, react at a news conference States as a teenager to deportation process and
following an announcement on Temporary Protected Status for nationals of El Salvador, in Los study at a college in At- it put him to work helping
Angeles, Monday Jan. 8, 2018. lanta. During his junior year other deportees reinte-
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) his family back home lost grate into society.
By MARCOS ALEMAN Trump administration’s de- can nation will be cut off nearly everything when Castro said programs like
Associated Press cision to lift their temporary and that families could be the bank seized their cof- his are very limited and
SANTA TECLA, El Salvador protected status next year. separated. But there was fee operation. Dropping more needs to be done for
(AP) — Being deported to “The main problem for also a hint of optimism that out, he worked at a coun- returnees.
an El Salvador he hadn’t deportees is that they’re Salvadorans with many try club and a book store “The government has to
seen in more than three de- made invisible. They’re re- years of experience in the and became manager of get ready, partner with
cades was a trauma Hugo jected, there’s no work. U.S. could bring expertise a Mexican restaurant. Then businesses, with all of soci-
Castro recalls clearly. They don’t help us,” said and investment to spur the a run-in with police led to ety, the nonprofits and cre-
The 51-year-old said Mon- Castro, who was deported economy. more than two years in im- ate assistance programs,”
day that his country must from the U.S. in 2015. Homeland Security Secre- migration detention as he he said.
begin preparing now to The U.S. announcement tary Kirstjen Nielsen said Sal- unsuccessfully fought de- As an example, he noted
receive the nearly 200,000 brought fears that a ma- vadorans who have stayed portation after living in the that in 2016, the country
Salvadorans who may jor source of income for in the U.S. with temporary U.S. for three decades. received 52,000 deportees
have to return following the this poor Central Ameri- protected status — only a His first three months back from the United States and
Mexico. Meanwhile, a gov-
Venezuela extends trade ban with 3 Caribbean islands ernment program to give
small cash grants to allow
deportees to open their
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) sami said that leaders of the the routes. Venezuelan and host oil refineries run by own businesses has only
— Venezuela has extend- three islands must step up authorities allege that the Venezuela’s state oil giant graduated 140 people, he
ed its ban on air and mari- to control criminal groups smuggling of products to and U.S. subsidiary Citgo. said.
time ties with three nearby that he says are smuggling neighboring countries is In recent years, Venezu- The biggest worry among
Dutch Caribbean islands, Venezuelan goods, harm- one of the causes of the se- elans fleeing the nation’s many Salvadorans is that
citing out of control smug- ing citizens of his country. vere shortage of food and economic collapse have their nation of 6.2 million
gling, officials said Tuesday. President Nicolas Maduro other basic products that sometimes fled to the is- people will see a big drop
Venezuela is pressing for on Friday first ordered the the South American coun- lands by boat. in the amount of cash
high-level talks with lead- 72-hour ban, accusing is- try has been facing for sev- In 2015 and 2016, Maduro sent home by country-
ers of Aruba, Curacao and land leaders of being com- eral years. took a similar measure to men working in the United
Bonaire before trading can plicit in illegal trafficking. The islands popular with combat smuggling, tem- States. Salvadorans trans-
resume, officials said. It follows threats he made tourists lie a short distance porarily closing the border ferred more than $4.5 bil-
Vice President Tareck El Ais- in mid-December to close from Venezuela’s coast crossings with Colombia.q lion from the U.S. in 2016, q