Before the Jan. 12 earthquake, immigration officials estimated that only paperwork and final arrangements stood between about 35,000 undocumented Haitians being returned to their strife-torn homeland.

Among those waiting were a number of people who had come to the Trenton Diocese in search of the safe harbor that eluded them in Haiti well before the earthquake struck.

They had worked hard when work was available, in a broad range of employment including area laundries, restaurants, medical facilities and newspaper printing operations.

Unimaginable economic hardship, the desire for a better life for their families and, finally, a catastrophic series of hurricanes in 2008, had brought them here, say advocates who, even before the earthquake, were urging the government to give them protected status.

When word came Jan. 15 that the government had agreed – after urging from the U.S. Bishops – to temporarily ease immigration restrictions for those here before the quake, clergy and religious who work with the immigrant community around the diocese and other advocates expressed relief if not total satisfaction.

The 18-month stay, which has been available to certain citizens of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia and Sudan, will allow those who qualify to legally remain in the U.S. and work here even if they were in the country illegally, they noted.

Father William McLaughlin, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Asbury Park and Father Paul Janvier, adjunct priest there, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Janet Yurkanin, director of the diocesan Office of Migration and Refugee Services and Christian Louis, a board member of the Coalition for Haitian-American Empowerment in Asbury Park, talked about the decision in a series of interviews.

They all expressed hope that this is but the first in a series of positive steps to improve life in the Haitian community here so it can translate to the community on the battered island. “This will basically allow undocumented people who were already here Jan. 1a2 to apply for temporary protected status and work authorization,” said Sister Janet. “They will be able to be legally hired, they’ll be able to support themselves and support people back home.”

Sister Janet said advocates such as herself had been pressing Congress and the White House for protected status for a while. “We asked for it in 2008 when the hurricanes hit Haiti and it wasn’t granted because the government said it wasn’t bad enough. Now, it is finally granted.”

She stressed that this is not an “immigration program that leads to a green card. It is a temporary program giving work authorization so they can support themselves.”

There is an application process and a scale of fees which can run up to $470 for those seeking work authorization, she said.

After the earthquake hit, she said, those working in the immigration field were expecting the decision.

“We were hoping for it,” she said. “You can’t send people home when they can’t support themselves.”

Louis, a member of Holy Spirit Parish, called the decision an example of the good relations Haitians in America have established with the community at large. Like the others interviewed for this story, he talked about how restoring the ability to work will translate to help for those stricken back home.

“People are willing to give and they are giving,” said Louis whose group has been one of the many spearheading relief drives in the Asbury Area.

Fathers Janvier and McLaughlin are very much hoping this move will restore some security to the area community.“The problem here is that many people have lost their jobs,” Father Janvier said.

Some jobs were lost because of the economic downturn and some were lost because of problems with residency status, he said. “The whole reality is that the 18-month-amnesty will restore ability to take care of the families in Haiti.”

Father McLaughlin said that Father Janvier, who comes from Haiti, is working “24-7 to empower the Haitian community in Asbury Park. He has a very good understanding of the situation.”

Help from the Church, neighbors and the community at large is wonderful, he said, and he expects it will continue for the long haul. But, he added, what is needed is more help with immigration on a governmental level.

This is but one example, he said, of how critical the need for immigration reform is. “Families are struggling with this all the time. Families are split up all the time.”

A short term fix, he said, is certainly a help. But it’s not the solution.