U.S. Department of Justice

Executive Office for Immigration Review

Office of the Director

5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2400

Falls Church, Virginia 22041

NEWS RELEASE Contact: Public Affairs, (703) 305-0289 Fax: (703) 605-0365

Internet: www.usdoj.gov/eoir

September 8, 1998

Deadline Nears for Filing Motions to Reopen under NACARA

Filing Period Ending September 11 Applies Only to Those With Final Orders

Nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and certain former Soviet bloc countries who may be eligible for benefits under Section 203 of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA), AND WHO HAVE RECEIVED FINAL ORDERS OF DEPORTATION OR REMOVAL, are reminded that they must file motions to reopen immigration proceedings by Friday, September 11, 1998, in order to be able to apply for relief under NACARA. This deadline does NOT apply to NACARA-eligible aliens who have NOT gone through proceedings or whose cases are still pending either in Immigration Court or at the Board of Immigration Appeals.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) published an interim rule in the Federal Register on June 11, 1998, establishing procedures for the one-time filing of motions to reopen deportation or removal proceedings to qualify for NACARA benefits. On June 12, 1998, EOIR published a news release and a fact sheet about this requirement and filing deadline. Both documents were distributed to news media and immigrant service organizations at the time. In addition, both documents were translated into Spanish, Russian, and Polish and were posted on the EOIR Web site at <www.usdoj.gov/eoir> where they can be viewed by anyone with access to the Internet. Copies of these documents are also available from the public affairs staff at EOIR headquarters (phone number listed above).

This notice responds to numerous inquiries about NACARA benefits in general and aims to clarify that the SEPTEMBER 11 DEADLINE APPLIES ONLY TO MOTIONS TO REOPEN FROM INDIVIDUALS WITH FINAL ORDERS of deportation or removal. Any others who believe they may be eligible for special NACARA relief are NOT required to meet this particular deadline. Additional regulations now being developed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and EOIR to establish procedures for special relief under NACARA will be published in the near future.

--EOIR--