Central American Studies and Temporary Relief Act of 1987

(Measure passed House, amended, roll call #286 (237-181))

Central American Studies and Temporary Relief Act of 1987 - Title I: General Accounting Office Investigation and Report - Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) within 60 days of enactment of this Act, to begin an investigation concerning displaced nationals of El Salvador and Nicaragua; and (2) to report to the Speaker of the House and to the President of the Senate within two years of initiating such investigation.

Requires determinations to be made, with respect to displaced Salvadorans and Nicaraguans living in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, or Mexico, of: (1) the number and location of such persons; (2) their place of origin in El Salvador or Nicaragua and the period of, and reason for, their displacement; (3) their current living conditions, with particular attention to questions of personal safety and the availability of food and medical assistance; (4) current efforts to provide such necessities; (5) the impact of the wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua; (6) the impact of the enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 on El Salvador and Nicaragua; and (7) the impact in El Salvador of the 1986 earthquake.

Requires assessments to be made, in the case of Salvadorans and Nicaraguans returned from the United States to their country, of: (1) their conditions upon return, with particular attention to any human rights violations; and (2) the extent to which these persons have become displaced persons in their country and the prospects for resettlement.

Requires the investigation, with respect to Salvadorans and Nicaraguans unlawfully in the United States, to: (1) compare the situation in El Salvador and Nicaragua with previous cases of administrative grants of extended voluntary departure under the immigration laws; (2) describe U.S. policies respecting the treatment of other aliens in the United States in similar circumstances; (3) describe the policies of all other countries in which Salvadorans or Nicaraguans have sought refuge as those policies concern the return of such persons to their country; and (4) assess their condition in the United States with particular attention to the impact of unlawful status upon their treatment.

Title II: Congressional Review - Provides for the referral of such report to the appropriate congressional committees in accordance with the rules of each House for committee hearings (within 90 days of continuous session after the referral of such report) and committee reports (within 270 days of continuous session after the referral of such report).

Title III: Temporary Stay of Deportation - Prohibits the Attorney General from detaining or deporting aliens until the Congress completes its review of the Comptroller General's report of those aliens who: (1) are nationals of El Salvador or Nicaragua; (2) have been continuously present in the United States since registering pursuant to this Act; (3) are deportable on specified noncriminal grounds; and (4) have registered with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as required by this Act.

Requires persons seeking to qualify for stays of deportation to register with the INS within 180 days of enactment of this Act. Permits such persons to work during such temporary stay of deportation period.

States that the stay of deportation period shall not count as a period of physical presence in the United States for purposes of deportation suspension and status adjustment.

States that during such stay of deportation period the alien: (1) shall not be considered to be permanently in the United States; (2) shall not be eligible for public assistance; and (3) may be deemed ineligible for public assistance by a State or any of its political subdivisions.