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WORLD NEWSWednesday 10 January 2018

Salvadorans fear their country not prepared for returnees

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