Biden Extends Deportation Relief For Over 300,000 Venezuelans—But Not For Recent Migrants

Topline

Federal immigration officials on Monday extended a set of temporary protections for Venezuelans who entered the United States before March 2021, but chose not to offer protection to more recent migrants, amid economic tumult in Venezuela and pressure to expand the program from Democratic lawmakers and some Florida Republicans.

Key Facts

Big Number

143,561. That’s how many Venezuelan citizens were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border from March 2021 to May 2022. Many Venezuelans who entered the U.S. without authorization have reportedly been able to stay in the country because deportations to Venezuela—whose government is at odds with the United States—are often difficult, though some Venezuelans have been sent to third countries like Colombia.

Key Background

Migration from Venezuela to the United States has spiked in the last two years, with nearly 50,000 Venezuelan citizens arrested at the southern border in the 2021 fiscal year, a massive jump from around 1,200 in 2020. This surge comes as millions of people flee Venezuela due to economic turmoil, political upheaval and widespread allegations of human rights abuses under the government of President Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States doesn’t recognize as Venezuela’s ruler following a contentious 2018 election. President Joe Biden offered temporary protected status to Venezuelans who were already in the U.S. shortly after entering office, which was seen as a way of ramping up pressure on Maduro’s government. The move was backed by immigration advocates as well as Diaz-Balart, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other Democratic and Republican politicians from Florida, where Venezuelan Americans are an important part of the electorate. In recent months, advocates have pushed the Biden Administration to also offer protections to Venezuelan migrants who arrived in the U.S. more recently, but administration officials were concerned the idea could exacerbate a wider surge of U.S.-Mexico border crossings over the last year, Politico reported.

Chief Critic

A group of 22 congressional Democrats, including Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Robert Menendez (N.J.), penned an open letter last week arguing Venezuelan migrants who arrived after March 2021 should also get protection. “Denying access to [temporary protected status] will not serve as an effective deterrent to future border crossings,” they wrote. “It will simply ensure that Venezuelans will live in poverty in the United States, with no other options.”

Tangent

People from more than a dozen other countries are also eligible for temporary protected status in the U.S., including Haiti, El Salvador and Yemen. The program is designed to give temporary relief to migrants whose countries are ravaged by civil war, natural disasters or other extreme circumstances. The Biden Administration has expanded the program to countries like Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar, a shift from former President Donald Trump, who sought to end temporary protected status for some countries.

Further Reading

Biden Grants Temporary Legal Status To Up To 320,000 Venezuelans (Forbes)

Biden is facing another major immigration decision. The White House is still weighing what to do. (Politico)