UN agency asks US to grant Colombian refugees temporary protected status
The status being recommended by UNHCR is a time-limited, complementary form of protection that allows nationals of a designated country to remain in the United States regardless of visa status or asylum proceedings.
In a two-page letter to US officials, UNHCR pointed out that the escalating humanitarian crisis in Colombia has not only resulted in the displacement of millions of civilians but is also precluding their return home.
"The numbers of Colombian asylum seekers are increasing dramatically in the region and in the United States," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said. "Countries neighbouring Colombia have seen dramatic increases over last year in monthly average arrivals of asylum seekers, and fighting in Colombia's border regions is intensifying."