US considers temporary protection for illegal Haitian immigrants News
US considers temporary protection for illegal Haitian immigrants

[JURIST] The US government will consider on a case-by-case basis allowing Haitian illegal immigrants who were victims of Tropical Storm Jeanne to stay in the US, so long as they are not violent criminals. Bill Strassberger, from the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, stated that the bureau will consider immigrants who entered the country illegally and those who overstayed their visas. This type of temporary protection has been granted before, for example, to victims of Hurricane Mitch (1998) in Honduras and Nicaragua. Additionally, Roger Noriega, US assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, and Gov. Jeb Bush met with Haiti interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue Friday in Florida. Latortue requested that the US temporarily halt all deportations of Haitians illegally in the US. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.