U.S. Official Offers Aid to Haitians in L.A.

Jane Arellano of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says visitors from the quake-ravaged country are now eligible to apply to extend their stays in the United States by 18 months, the Los Angeles Times reported. But fielding the myriad immigration questions was Jane Arellano, Los Angeles district director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In her first appearance before the Los Angeles Haitian community, Arellano announced that Haitian visitors were now eligible to apply to extend their stays in the United States by 18 months. The "temporary protected status (TPS)," granted to nationals of Haiti last week by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, allows the extended stays so people do not have to return to unsafe conditions, such as wars or natural disasters.