Venezuela has THE LARGEST PROVEN OIL RESERVES IN THE WORLD, ahead of eve Saudi Arabia.
Communism ruins everything it touches every single time.
State Dept: The United States is the largest single donor for the response to the Venezuela “regional crisis.”
This brings total U.S. assistance to more than $2.8 billion since 2017.
That includes more than $2.5 billion in “humanitarian assistance” and $387 million in “development assistance.” (Mar 17, 2023)
ny1.com
Biden grants protection to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS, SPECTRUM NEWS STAFF
AND ANGI GONZALEZ WASHINGTON, D.C.
PUBLISHED 8:41 PM ET SEP. 20, 2023
The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to arrive at the U.S. border with Mexico.
The move — along with promises to accelerate work permits for many migrants — may appease Democratic leaders who have pressured the White House to do more to aid asylum seekers, while also providing grist for Republicans who say the president has been too lax on immigration.
What You Need To Know
The Biden administration is granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country. The move makes it easier for them to get work authorization in the U.S.
The promise of accelerated work permits does not apply to people who cross the border illegally and seek asylum, who, by law, must wait for six months to receive work permits
The administration said that it would accelerate work authorizations for people who have arrived in the country since January through a mobile app for appointments at land crossings with Mexico, called CBP One, or through parole granted to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have financial sponsors and arrive at an airport
The Biden Homeland Security Department plans to grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country as of July 31, 2023, making it easier for them to get authorization to work in the U.S., a key demand of Democratic mayors and governors who are struggling to care for an increased number of migrants in their care.
That’s in addition to about 242,700 Venezuelans who already qualified for temporary status before Wednesday’s announcement.
The Biden protections for Venezuelans are significant because they account for such a large number of the migrants who have been arriving in the country in recent years.
Venezuela plunged into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis over the last decade, pushing at least 7.3 million people to migrate and making food and other necessities unaffordable for those who remain. The vast majority who fled settled in neighboring countries in Latin America, but many began coming to the United States in the last three years through the notoriously dangerous Darien Gap, a stretch of jungle in Panama.
Venezuelans who arrive in the U.S. after July 31 of this year will not be eligible for the protection. Those who are now eligible have to apply to get it.
Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas granted the expansion and an 18-month extension for those who already have temporary status due to “Venezuela’s increased instability and lack of safety due to the enduring humanitarian, security, political, and environmental conditions,” the department said in a statement.
The Biden administration said that it would accelerate work authorizations for people who have arrived in the country since January through a mobile app for appointments at land crossings with Mexico, called CBP One, or through parole granted to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have financial sponsors and arrive at an airport. It will aim to give them work permits within 30 days, compared to about 90 days currently.
The promise of accelerated work permits does not apply to people who cross the border illegally and seek asylum, who, by law, must wait for six months to receive work permits.
The number of migrants trying to cross the southern border is rising. That poses a severe challenge for the Biden administration, which has struggled to show it is in control of the border in the face of Republican criticism. The city of Eagle Pass, which borders Mexico along the Rio Grande in southern Texas, announced a state of emergency Wednesday due to a “severe undocumented immigrant surge.”
According to Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber, about 2,700 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass on Tuesday and about 3,000 Wednesday.
The Biden administration also said Wednesday it was also using the Biden Defense Department forces to support Homeland Security staff on the border. Homeland Security already uses about 2,500 National Guard troops to help Customs and Border Protection.
snip
Venezuela has THE LARGEST PROVEN OIL RESERVES IN THE WORLD, ahead of eve Saudi Arabia.
Communism ruins everything it touches every single time.