Menendez, Durbin, Schumer Lead Democrats in Again Calling on Trump to Grant TPS for Venezuelans
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Menendez,
Durbin, Schumer Lead Democrats in Again Calling on Trump to Grant TPS
for Venezuelans
WASHINGTON –
Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.),
Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate
Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck
Schumer (D-N.Y.) today led a group of 23 senators in again
calling on President Trump to support the victims of the Maduro regime by
granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans fleeing the
political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in their home country.
“As the people
of Venezuela continue to suffer political oppression and economic deprivation
at the hands of the Nicolas Maduro’s regime, they now also face the
alarming spread of the COVID-19 pandemic with a public health system in
ruins.” wrote the Democratic Senators. “To that end, we
again urge your Administration to immediately provide Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) for eligible Venezuelans who are not able to return safely to
their country.”
The Senators’ letter follows a years-long campaign
pushing President Trump to use his executive authorities to designate
Venezuela for TPS. Today’s effort comes a year after the
Democrat-led House of Representatives passed H.R. 549, the Venezuela TPS Act
of 2019 in an effort to circumvent the Administration’s inaction
by legislatively granting temporary protections to Venezuelans.
“In July 2019,
the House of Representatives passed H.R. 549, the Venezuela TPS Act, a bill
that designates Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), providing
approximately 200,000 Venezuelan nationals with protection in the United
States. However, Republican members of the Senate have repeatedly opposed
meaningful action on this bill. Moreover, your Administration has the
authority it needs to designate Venezuela for TPS today given that conditions
in Venezuela clearly meet the requirements of the TPS statute, yet it has
failed to do so.” added the Senators.
Established
by the U.S. Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS is a renewable
program that provides relief from deportation and access to a work permit for
foreign nationals from designated countries who are unable to
safely return to their home country due to natural disasters, armed
conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions. In 2018 alone, over 30,000 people from Venezuela applied for
asylum status in the United States—by far the most of
any nationality that year. The TPS designation is a temporary
benefit aimed at providing relief to immigrants residing in the United States
who are unable to safely return to their home country. TPS recipients
are fully vetted and are required to undergo background checks to ensure that
they are not risks to public safety or national security.
Joining
Menendez, Schumer and Durbin in sending the letter were Senators Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris
Van Hollen (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons
(D-Del.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar
(D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tom Carper (D-Del.),
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Elizabeth
Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kamala Harris
(D-Calif.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin
(D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and
Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
A
copy of the letter can be found HERE and below:
Dear Mr.
President:
We write to
express our heightened concern about the number of individuals who have fled
Venezuela’s political, economic, and humanitarian crisis and are in urgent
need of protection in the United States. As the people of Venezuela continue
to suffer political oppression and economic deprivation at the hands of the
Nicolas Maduro’s regime, they now also face the alarming spread of
the COVID-19 pandemic with a public health system in ruins. To that end, we
again urge your Administration to immediately provide Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) for eligible Venezuelans who are not able to return safely to
their country.
As you know,
Venezuela continues to be the number one country of origin for individuals
claiming asylum in the U.S. and nearly 30,000 Venezuelans applied for asylum
with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in 2018
alone. Since 2015, more than five million Venezuelans have fled
their country. They have fled Nicolás Maduro’s corrupt regime,
attempting to escape a country ravaged by violence, destitution, and the
widespread absence of basic food and medicine. Colombia, Peru, Chile,
Ecuador, and Brazil are hosting approximately three million Venezuelan
refugees and migrants, and it is important for the United States to
demonstrate solidarity with the Venezuelan people and these generous host
countries.
With the world
confronting the COVID-19 pandemic—which has presented major challenges to
public health systems everywhere—most hospitals in Venezuela lack running
water, electricity and basic medical supplies. A significant number of
Venezuelan medical professionals have fled the country’s political and
economic crisis. We fear that the coronavirus will spread unmitigated and
further exacerbate the country’s humanitarian crisis. As of July 2, 2020
the Maduro regime has acknowledged more than 6,000 confirmed cases
of COVID-19. However, international medical experts and human rights
organizations suggest that the number is certainly much higher, given the
limited availability of reliable testing, limited transparency, and the
persecution of medical professionals, scientists and journalists who report
independent data on COVID-19 cases.
In July 2019,
the House of Representatives passed H.R. 549, the Venezuela TPS Act, a bill
that designates Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), providing
approximately 200,000 Venezuelan nationals with protection in the United
States. However, Republican members of the Senate have repeatedly opposed
meaningful action on this bill. Moreover, your Administration has the
authority it needs to designate Venezuela for TPS today given that conditions
in Venezuela clearly meet the requirements of the TPS statute, yet it has
failed to do so.
Given the
extraordinary humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, compounded by the COVID-19
epidemic, we again urge your Administration to grant TPS to eligible
Venezuelans currently present in the United States. Without TPS, Venezuelans
in the United States are at risk of deportation back to a country where their
lives, safety, and freedom are threatened. Designating Venezuela for TPS
would demonstrate our nation’s commitment to supporting vulnerable
Venezuelans until they can return to their country safely.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this issue. We look forward to your response. Sincerely,
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