INS ‘Safe Haven’ May Carry Risk of Deportation, Salvadorans Warned : Immigration: People who have fled El Salvador’s civil war may at last apply for asylum, but Congress could decline to renew the rules in 18 months.

Immigrant-rights activists Friday warned Orange County’s estimated 70,000 Salvadorans that applying for the “safe haven” provision of a new immigration law could place them at risk of deportation.

The law, which took effect Jan. 1, will provide 18 months of legal status for Salvadorans who can prove that they have lived here continually since Sept. 19, 1990. The change in the law marks a significant reversal in U.S. policy by granting, for the first time, asylum to Salvadorans fleeing a country torn by civil war.

But leaders of the Orange County Coalition for Immigrant Rights and Responsibilities said that because there is no guarantee that Congress will renew the order at the end of 18 months, Salvadorans should consider carefully whether they want to risk deportation later by exposing themselves now to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The legalization program “exists as an acknowledgement of the prolonged and intolerable nature of the civil war going on” in El Salvador, said Msgr. Jaime Soto, vicar of the Latino community for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.

“It will be a welcome relief for some,” he said, “but we, of the coalition, are requesting that Salvadorans proceed with caution and consider well the benefits and risks of this program.”

The advocates issued their warnings as INS officials in Los Angeles announced the final preparations for the onslaught of applicants they expect throughout Southern California, home to more Salvadorans than anywhere outside of El Salvador.

There are about 800,000 Salvadorans in the United States, many of whom have fled because of the violence in their country. The large numbers are expected to burden an already-overtaxed INS, especially because applications must be submitted by June 30.

Bob Moschorak, Los Angeles district director of the INS, encouraged Salvadorans to apply.

“To those people who are reluctant to come forward, I can only say they are missing an excellent opportunity,” Moschorak said.

Officials said applicants will have to pay $75 to process their residency applications, plus $35 for their work authorization. Children younger than 14 and people older than 65 will be exempt from paying the $35.

Also, Moschorak said, application forms will be available at several INS offices--including one on Magnolia Avenue in Westminster--or they can be requested by calling (213) 625-0320. Applicants will then send in the form and wait for the INS to issue an appointment for an interview by an immigration officer.

The procedure should take about 30 days, he said.

Moschorak said the agency’s downtown Los Angeles office had received 600 inquiries by midafternoon Wednesday.

“We recognized early on that we would have to do something extraordinary,” he said, “because of the large numbers of people that would be coming in. We reacted immediately after President Bush signed this into law in November. . . . Our people have been working behind the scenes since then, and we have met with the volunteer agencies, so I feel that this has caused us to be prepared.”

He said if the facilities in Westminster, Long Beach and elsewhere do not prove adequate to handle all the requests, INS officials are prepared “to work after hours or even on Saturdays and Sundays.”

In Orange County, Lilia Powell, executive director of the Coalition for Immigrant Rights and Responsibilities, urged Salvadorans to consult nonprofit organizations to ask for aid regarding the regulations, before going to the INS.

Applications will be available at eight agencies in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove and Placentia, Powell said, and arrangements are being made with the INS so some of the interviews can be conducted at these offices.

The coalition has set up a hot line to answer questions about the new law and to give information about where to obtain forms. It is: (714) 567-5746.

In addition, the coalition has organized four charlas, or informal discussions, during January, for those who want to find out more about the new law.

The coalition also warned Salvadoran immigrants against going to unscrupulous immigration lawyers or others who have already begun advertising in Spanish-language newspapers that they can obtain legal status for an applicant--for a fee.

“We don’t want our community to be victimized,” said Evelyn Colon Becktell, chairwoman of the coalition. “Our challenge is to get the word out quickly.”

GUIDELINES FOR PROTECTED STATUS

A new law approved by Congress will permit certain Salvadorans to legally reside and work in this country until the end of June, 1992. Representatives of some immigrant rights groups warn immigrants that there are some risks in applying because there is no guarantee yet that the temporary protected status will be renewed at the end of the 18-month period.

To qualify for the protected status, Salvadorans must:

* Demonstrate continuous presence in the United States since Sept. 19, 1990.

* Register for the new status between now and June 30, 1991. Application forms will be available at some immigration offices or by mail, and then the Immigration and Naturalization Service will assign a date for a personal interview.

* Not have been convicted of any felonies or of more than one misdemeanor.

For more information, call the hot line established by the Orange County Coalition for Immigrant Rights at (714) 547-5746.