Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is an immigration status granted to those individuals from a designated foreign country who are in the United States at the time the country is designated. The secretary of Homeland Security may designate a county for TPS if that country has suffered an environmental disaster. It is important to mention that once a country is designated, TPS beneficiaries are allowed to live and work temporarily in the United States, and that TPS does not lead to permanent resident status. It is also important to mention that the only individuals eligible for TPS status are those who are in the United States -- at the time the country is designated. With the chaos that has ensued in the past two days since Haiti was hit by a devastating 7.0 earthquake -- including the lack of a stable infrastructure as the death toll continues to rise and hospitals are unable to care for the injured, many of us are wondering what we can do to help. Certainly, one way we can help individually is to donate money to those organizations providing relief work in Haiti. But another way in which we, as a country, can lend international assistance is by designating Haiti for TPS so that Haitian nationals in the United States at this time can have a protective haven until it is safe to return home. I urge Secretary Janet Napolitano to please grant TPS designation to Haitians currently in the United States, and I ask all of us to second the request. JOHN MEDEIROS, MINNEAPOLIS