The Biden administration says it is granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the country, making them eligible to work quickly, as it deals with an influx of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere and arriving at the US-Mexico border.
The measure, along with promises to expedite work permits for many migrants, may placate Democratic leaders who have pressed the White House to do more to help asylum seekers, while also giving fodder for Republicans who claim President Joe Biden has been too lenient on immigration.
The Department of Homeland Security intends to issue Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the nation as of July 31, making it easier for them to obtain work permits in the United States. This has been a fundamental demand of Democratic mayors and governors who are straining to care for an increasing number of refugees.
This is in addition to the approximately 242,700 Venezuelans who qualified for temporary status before Wednesday’s announcement. Venezuelans are protected since they account for a big proportion of the migrants who have arrived in the nation in recent years.
Background of Venezuelan migration crisis
Over the last decade, Venezuela has been engulfed in a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis, forcing at least 7.3 million people to flee and making food and other necessities unaffordable for those who remain. The vast majority of those who escaped landed in neighboring Latin American countries, but thousands have begun to arrive in the United States in the last three years via the extremely treacherous Darien Gap, a section of jungle in Panama.
Venezuelans who arrive in the United States after July 31 will not be eligible for the protection. Those who are now eligible must apply for it.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas approved the expansion and an 18-month extension for individuals 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 administration said it would expedite work authorizations for people who arrived in the country since January through CBP One, a mobile app for appointments at land crossings with Mexico, or through parole granted to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrive at an airport with financial sponsors. It will strive to issue work permits within 30 days, as opposed to the current 90-day period.
The promise of quicker work permits does not apply to anyone who crosses the border illegally and seeks asylum, as they are required by law to wait six months for work permits.
Mayors and governors have been pleading with Biden to find a solution to allow recently arrived migrants to work legally so they can sustain themselves.
Concerns over resource burden in democratic-led cities
Democratic politicians in New York, Massachusetts, Chicago, and other cities have expressed concern about the burden newly arriving migrants are placing on their resources, particularly in New York, where the government is mandated to provide shelter for anyone in need. The city is currently paying for the housing of approximately 60,000 freshly arrived migrants.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement late Wednesday that she was “grateful the federal government has acted so speedily to grant one of our top priorities: Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan asylum seekers and migrants who have already arrived in this country.”
Eric Adams, the city’s mayor, has been particularly critical of the Biden administration. However, Adams hailed the move to provide Venezuelans protection and commended the administration for listening to the city’s concerns on Wednesday.
The number of people attempting to reach the southern border is increasing. This presents a significant problem for the administration, which has struggled to demonstrate border control in the face of Republican criticism. Eagle Pass, located in southern Texas near the Rio Grande, declared a state of emergency on Wednesday owing to a “severe undocumented immigrant surge.”
According to Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber, around 2,700 migrants entered Eagle Pass on Tuesday and another 3,000 on Wednesday.
Biden administration deploys defense department forces to assist at the border
The Biden administration also stated on Wednesday that it was using Defense Department forces to assist Homeland Security personnel on the border. Approximately 2,500 National Guard troops are already used by Homeland Security to assist Customs and Border Protection. According to the news release, up to 800 extra active-duty troops would be assigned to the border for purposes such as logistics, freeing up Customs agents for more front-line duties.
Homeland Security also stated that it was making further efforts to address immigration, such as expanding a process begun in May to promptly remove families who are deemed to have no legal basis to be in the country. The agency also stated that it has increased holding capacity along the southern border.
It also stated that the number of people expelled from the country had increased. Since May 12, the agency has reported it had deported 253,000 people to over 150 nations. This compared to 180,000 deported over the same period in 2019 – before the pandemic heightened the government’s power to deport migrants.
