Biden Expands Temporary Protected Status to 472K Venezuelans

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Facts

  • On Wednesday, the Biden admin. announced that it would offer 472K Venezuelan migrants Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing them to obtain work permits and apply for deportation protection.1
  • Under the direction of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the move will add hundreds of thousands of migrants to the 242.7K who already qualify for TPS and extend it by 18 months for those who arrived in the US on or before July 31.2
  • Mayorkas said they will also accelerate work authorizations through a mobile app, called CBP One, for people who have arrived since January at land crossings with Mexico, as well as for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who have financial sponsors and arrive at an airport.3
  • The White House also announced that it will send 800 soldiers to aid Customs and Border Protection at the US-Mexico border in addition to the existing 2.4K state National Guard personnel, as well as expand its program to rapidly deport migrants who cross as a family.4
  • In response, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he 'appreciate[s]' the move but added that tens of thousands are still arriving in the city every month. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Venezuelans currently make up 41% of migrants living in the state's shelters.5
  • Migrant encounters at the border jumped to more than 180K in July, with officials claiming they made another 45K encounters in the last five days. Alongside New York City, which has so far taken in 110K migrants, Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday saw an influx of predominantly Venezuelan migrants, prompting the closure of its main bridge.1

Sources: 1FOX News, 2USA Today, 3Associated Press, 4NBC and 5CNN.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Washington examiner. After years of gaslighting the public by saying they weren't welcoming illegal immigrants into the country, the Biden administration is now offering hundreds of thousands of lawbreakers quick and easy work visas. Even New York City Democrats have expressed anger over this, as their city will now be seen as a welcome mat for more border crossers to inhabit, given the federal government's open border policy.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The journal record. The problem isn't who or how many people are entering America's major cities, but rather that they aren't able to obtain work visas and, therefore, rely heavily on tax-dollar-funded shelters. Now that Biden has removed the red tape, these asylum seekers, who have been eagerly awaiting a chance to start a new life in the US, can finally join society and contribute to the economy just as the immigrants of the past were able to do.