INS Attempts to Contact Some Aliens Given Temporary Status
About 1,000 immigrants who have applied for amnesty in the western United States have lost touch with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and may not know that they can remain in the country temporarily.
The INS is attempting to contact the aliens, who could lose their chance to become permanent residents if they do not apply within 31 months of their initial application, said Joseph Thomas, director of INS Western Region Processing Center in Laguna Niguel.
Thomas said the aliens, who do not know they have been granted temporary status, might not apply for permanent residency. They could also have trouble with employers, who are increasingly reluctant to hire aliens who cannot prove they have the legal right to work in the United States, he said.
Under the act approved by Congress last year, illegal aliens who have lived in the United States continuously since before Jan. 1, 1982 can apply for legal status. The application deadline is May 5, 1988.
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