I have no problem allowing able-bodied immigrants to work and pay taxes in this country. The problem however isn't going to be solved until we secure our border and send anyone illegally crossing immediately back to Mexico.
As for our diplomatic status with Venezuela mentioned below, who cares. If Mexico lets these guys into their country, we have every right to send them back to their point of origin.
Trump won the 2016 on the immigration issue. This time the issue touches more Americans and will help get that goofball elected for a 2nd term.
BTW: all you other guys waiting for legal work status...sorry. Just stay in line. Haha.
US offers work permits to half million Venezuelans already in country
By Ted Hesson, Reuters
September 20, 2023
The Hernandez family, Venezuelan migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. who were not received for the appointment they got using the U.S.Customs and Border Protection (CBP) CBP One application, walk next to the border wall after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Acquire Licensing Rights Read more
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. will grant temporary deportation relief and access to work permits to nearly half a million Venezuelans already in the country, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, a move that follows calls by Democrats to help newly arrived migrants work legally.
About 472,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. on or before July 31 now will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months. Some 243,000 Venezuelans already have the status stemming from a 2021 designation that was renewed last year.
President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking reelection in 2024, has faced record illegal border crossings, fueled by a sharp rise in recent years of migrants fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela.
Fellow Democrats, most prominently New York City Mayor Eric Adams, have called on Biden to expand work access for newly arrived migrants who have strained local and state resources.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the expansion of protected status for Venezuelans was warranted due to "Venezuela's increased instability and lack of safety."
Frosty diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela make it difficult for the U.S. to deport Venezuelans to their home country. But a U.S. agreement with Mexico has allowed thousands of non-Mexicans - including Venezuelans - to be deported to Mexico in recent months.
Venezuela's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped in May after the Biden administration rolled out stricter asylum rules, but crossings have rebounded in recent months.
To help free up Border Patrol agents, the Pentagon will send 800 additional active-duty troops to the border on top of 2,500 National Guard troops already deployed, the White House said.
In addition, the Biden administration will expand nationwide a program launched in May to rapidly process migrant families seeking asylum and potentially deport them.
DHS said it would increase the time that work permits are valid for certain immigrants, including asylum-seekers, to five years, to allow the government to focus on processing new applications.
Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Additional reporting Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Editing by Sandra Maler and Christopher Cushing
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Ted Hesson
Thomson Reuters
Ted Hesson is an immigration reporter for Reuters, based in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on the policy and politics of immigration, asylum
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