An organisation of South Asian attorneys in the US and Canada has urged the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to US immigrants scheduled to return to tsunami-affected countries like India, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The National South Asian Bar Association (NASABA), an organisation representing
about 5,000 South Asian attorneys, also urged Secretary of US Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to ensure that TPS beneficiaries could remain in the US and obtain work authorization.

NASABA made the plea along with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund, the South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow and the Asian American Legal Defence and Education Fund, according to a press release.

When the TPS designation of a country is terminated, beneficiaries would revert to the same immigration status they maintained before TPS, it said.

By preventing forced travel to regions affected by the tsunamis, the number of tsunami-related deaths and disease could be reduced, it suggested.

NASABA and its partner organisations urged the US government to react urgently to ensure "the timely passing of a TPS programme to protect countries from any further harm".

Among the work that NASABA does is to promote alliances between South Asian legal professionals in the US and Canada, provide information to members on careers and provides an avenue for professionals and other community leaders to take an interest in matters of concern to the South Asian community.