President Joe Biden is allowing thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S. to have a chance to apply for temporary protection in the U.S., an attack on the Venezuelan government that could have political benefits for Democrats.
Biden’s request allows about 300,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. to apply for temporary protection status. If granted, beneficiaries can stay and work in the USA for 18 months.
The move aims to increase pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, under which the country’s once prosperous economy has collapsed, while its residents have fled or the many who continue to hunt for food and other basic items.
Biden had promised during the campaign that he would extend protection to Venezuelans in the United States, many of whom are in Florida’s critical state.
“Living conditions in Venezuela reveal a country in crisis, unable to protect its own citizens,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “It is in times of extraordinary and temporary circumstances like these that the United States comes forward to support the qualified Venezuelan citizens who are already present here, while their country seeks to recover from the current crises.”
Former President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on Venezuela to try to expel Maduro. He also recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president.
But while in office, Trump refused to support legislation in Congress to grant protection status to Venezuelans, and Congressional Republicans also blocked legislation to grant it. Many Venezuelans were deported during his tenure.
A senior Biden government official portrayed Trump’s focus on sanctions as a failed strategy, the Associated Press reported.
“The United States is in no hurry to lift sanctions,” the official told reporters on a phone call on condition of anonymity to discuss the policy. “But we need to recognize here that unilateral sanctions over the past four years have not achieved an electoral result in the country.”
The official said the government would review the sanctions.
Temporary Protection Status, or TPS, is a temporary renewable benefit that provides protection against deportation and work permits for people who are unable to return to their countries due to natural disasters, armed conflicts and other conditions.
Trump found strong support among Venezuelans in the United States in November, helping him to beat Florida in the elections. Upon his departure, he signed a decree that postponed the removal of Venezuelans who were at risk of deportation for 18 months.
‘A powerful signal’
Senator Bob Menendez, DN.J., who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that continuing to deport Venezuelans to the country, which he described as the Maduro tragedy, “would be to tell them that they are a burden on the community. , a threat to our national security and an unwanted guest in our country. ”
Menendez and Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Now the leader of the Senate majority, were the main sponsors of Venezuela’s Temporary Protection Status Act. Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Was a co-sponsor.
“We are striking a blow to the Maduro regime … and we are sending a powerful signal to allies and competitors that the United States is once again committed to the cause of democracy,” said Menendez.
To qualify for protected status, applicants must provide proof of continued residency in the United States beginning Monday, March 8. The Department of Homeland Security will announce a 180-day registration period, when requests can be made to the Citizenship and Immigration Services.
All candidates will have to pass security and background checks. More details will be published in a notice from the Federal Register.
The administration is encouraging people who received the Deferred Forced Departure during the Trump administration to apply for the TPS as well.
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Associated Press contributed.