,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bdac ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #cj1 #bjai ,mr4 ,diaz-,balart 7for himself and ,ms4 ,shalala7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to designate ,nicaragua under section #bdd of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act to permit nationals of ,nicaragua to be eligible for temporary protected status under such section1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,nicaragua ,,tps ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,since ,april #ah1 #bjah1 protesters in ,nicaragua have demanded transparent government without corruption1 access to necessities such as food and medicines1 and free1 fair1 multiparty elections4 7#b7 ,the ,world ,bank reported that ,nicaragua's economy contracted by #c4h percent in #bjah1 and expects the economic downturn to continue to an estimated decrease in growth of #e percent in #bjai4 7#c7 ,the ,united ,states ,department of ,state's ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices for #bjah stated that between the protests of ,april #ah1 #bjah1 and late ,november #bjah1 at least #cbe persons died1 more than #b1jjj were injured1 and hundreds more were illegally detained and tortured1 while more than #eb1jjj fled to neighboring countries4 7#d7 ,the ,united ,states ,department of ,state's ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights for #bjah stated that human rights deteriorated markedly during the year4 ,issues included reports of unlawful or arbitrary killings committed by the government or its agents2 forced disappearance by parapolice forces2 torture2 physical abuse1 including rape1 by government officials2 and arbitrary arrest and detention4 ,there were harsh and life-threatening prison conditions2 political prisoners2 arbitrary and unlawful interference with privacy2 arrests of journalists1 censorship1 site blocking1 and criminal libel2 and substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association1 including attacks on the ,roman ,catholic ,church and ,church officials4 ,the government stripped the legal status of several nongovernmental organizations 7,n,g,os7 and civil society organizations1 seizing their assets and preventing them from operating4 ,there was widespread corruption2 trafficking in persons2 attacks against lesbian1 gay1 bisexual1 transgender1 and intersex 7,,lgbti7 persons2 discrimination against ethnic minorities and indigenous communities2 and child labor44 7#e7 ,on ,february #bb1 #bjai1 ,michelle ,bachelet1 the ,u4,n4 ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 said1 ,i am deeply concerned about the apparent lack of due process and increasing criminalization of dissent in ,nicaragua4 ,the arrest and jailing of opposition leaders1 possibly in some cases as a reprisal for cooperating with the ,,un1 clearly hinders the creation of an environment conducive to holding a genuine and inclusive dialogue--which the ,government says it wants4 ''' ,i also call on the authorities to release all those deprived of their liberty in connection with their intrinsic right to peaceful protest and dissent1 and to ensure people who cooperate with the ,,un and other human rights organizations do not face reprisals4 ,it is a fundamental tenet of democracy that people from all parts of society should be able to engage freely in debate about the future of their country1 without fear of arrest or intimidation44 7#f7 ,on ,april #d1 #bjai1 the ,inter-,american ,commission on ,human ,rights of the ,organization of ,american ,states condemned the human rights abuses perpetrated by the ,ortega regime1 stating that1 the acts of repression in question include illegal arbitrary arrests1 the prohibition of all forms of social demonstration of protest1 the refusal to re-establish the legal status of civil society organizations1 and the increasing repression of people who are being deprived of their liberty4 ,the ,,iachr once more calls for repression in the country to cease and for public liberties to be restored44 7#g7 ,international human rights groups such as ,human ,rights ,watch1 the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 and ,reporters ,without ,borders have highlighted the ,ortega regime's efforts to silence independent media4 ,for example1 offices of ,radio ,dario were burned down after the protests began in ,april #bjah1 ,nicaragua's most widely read newspaper ,la ,prensa's printing materials were confiscated in ,january #bjai1 and numerous journalists were arrested and imprisoned since the protests began1 while death threats and other intimidation tactics have forced dozens of journalists to flee the country4 7#h7 ,in response to corruption and human rights abuses1 the ,united ,states ,department of ,treasury has sanctioned six ,nicaraguans for corruption and gross violations of human rights4 ,those sanctioned include the ,vice ,president1 who is the wife of corrupt ,president ,daniel ,ortega1 as well as the former ,president of the ,supreme ,electoral ,council1 the ,director of the ,nicaraguan ,national ,police1 a ,national ,security ,advisor to the ,president1 the ,political ,secretary for the municipality of ,managua1 and the ,treasurer of the ,sandinista ,party4 #c4 ,sense of congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that-- 7#a7 ,nicaragua's economic1 humanitarian1 and human rights crisis has resulted in extraordinary and temporary conditions that currently prevent ,nicaraguan nationals from safely returning to ,nicaragua2 and 7#b7 ,nicaragua should be designated under subsection 7b77#a77;,c7 of section #bdd of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a7 for a period of #ah months to permit nationals of ,nicaragua to be eligible for temporary protected status in accordance with such section4 #d4 ,designation for purposes of granting temporary protected status 7a7 ,designation 7#a7 ,in general ,for purposes of section #bdd of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a71 ,nicaragua shall be treated as if it had been designated under subsection 7b77#a77;,c7 of that section1 subject to the provisions of this section4 7#b7 ,period of designation ,the initial period of the designation referred to in paragraph 7#a7 shall be for the #ah-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7b7 ,aliens eligible ,as a result of the designation made under subsection 7a71 an alien who is a national of ,nicaragua is deemed to satisfy the requirements under paragraph 7#a7 of section #bdd7;c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a7c771 subject to paragraph 7#c7 of such section1 if the alien-- 7#a7 has been continuously physically present in the ,united ,states since the date of the enactment of this ,act2 7#b7 is admissible as an immigrant1 except as otherwise provided in paragraph 7#b77;,a7 of such section1 and is not ineligible for temporary protected status under paragraph 7#b77;,b7 of such section2 and 7#c7 registers for temporary protected status in a manner established by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security4 7c7 ,consent ,to travel abroad 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall give prior consent to travel abroad1 in accordance with section #bdd7;f77#c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a7f77#c771 to an alien who is granted temporary protected status pursuant to the designation made under subsection 7a7 if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security that emergency and extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the alien require the alien to depart for a brief1 temporary trip abroad4 7#b7 ,treatment upon return ,an alien returning to the ,united ,states in accordance with an authorization described in paragraph 7#a7 shall be treated as any other returning alien provided temporary protected status under section #bdd of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abed;a74