The United States (US) government on Monday announced that it would offer temporary residency to several hundred thousand Venezuelans within US territory, because of the ongoing humanitarian and economic crises in the South American nation.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the move was prompted by the “extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent nationals from returning safely, including a complex humanitarian crisis marked by widespread hunger and malnutrition, a growing influence and presence of non-state armed groups, repression, and a crumbling infrastructure”.
He noted that Venezuela’s designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will last for 18 months, which would enable the country’s nationals currently residing in the US to file applications for TPS, as well as for work and travel authorizations. Mayorkas that this would help support those stuck away from home, “while their country seeks to right itself out of the current crises.” An estimated 320,000 Venezuelans will be affected by the decision, which has seen bipartisan support.
The measure marks a significant deviation in policy from that of the previous administration, which sought to tighten US economic sanctions on Venezuela (and its oil sector), to try and force President Nicolás Maduro out of power, and opposed providing protection to Venezuelans due to fears of increased immigration into the US. However, a Biden government official told Associated Press that though the US was in no rush to lift the punitive measures, it was clear that unilateral sanctions over the last four years “have not succeeded in achieving an electoral outcome in the country.”
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity further stressed that Venezuela’s oil markets had adapted to the sanctions, which meant they were still able to sustain themselves through illicit flows. “So, really we could keep on with unilateral sanctions and stay in this situation for who knows how long, or we actually could start sitting down with the international community to see how we can actually exert coordinated pressure and set clear expectations for the way forward,” the source added.
Analysts say that Biden’s latest move could open up a new support base for him, one that largely backed his predecessor in 2020. “This was a group of Venezuelan American voters,” Fernand Amandi, a Miami-based Democratic political strategist, and pollster told NPR. “Trump really went after them. Romanced them during the four years of his presidency but couldn't quite close the deal on offering permanent TPS, which is what the community desperately was looking for. Biden did.”
The decision to offer TPS to Venezuelan migrants follows a similar decision by Colombian President Iván Duque last month, who announced that Colombia will extend temporary protective legal status to 1.73 million Venezuelan migrants in the country. As a result of the new designation, roughly 966,000 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia who until now did not possess legal status can now seek employment and receive health care through their new 10-year residence permits. The provision will apply to anyone who arrived in Colombia before January 31 and those who enter the country in the subsequent two years.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza responded to the US’ move, saying that the next coherent step to take would be to lift all “arbitrary sanctions that generate pain and suffering to the Venezuelan people, as mandated by the United Nations.” When quizzed about his thoughts on both Washington and Bogotá taking similar measures on humanitarian grounds, the minister said: “It is a terrible waste of hypocrisy and a farce, it promotes the US blockade and the suffering of the Venezuelan people, it refuses to vaccinate migrants, and supports violent plans on its territory to attack Venezuela. Iván Duque wants to make the world believe that he is a tender, supportive lamb.”
US Designates Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status, Offering Residency to Thousands
The Department of Homeland Security said that the move was due to the ongoing humanitarian and economic crises in the South American nation.
March 10, 2021
US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas SOURCE: J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/ASSOCIATED PRESS via THE NEW YORK TIMES