Venezuelans urge Biden to keep his promise on granting TPS to migrants

Leaders with Venezuela’s opposition urged the incoming Biden administration Monday to grant special status to migrants from the troubled South American country that would allow them to live and work in the United States.

Officials appointed as U.S. emissaries by Juan Guaidó — the man recognized by the Trump administration as Venezuela’s rightful president — made the push after touring an immigration detention center in Broward County.

“With less than a month until inauguration day, we are hoping that the Biden administration will keep their promise of granting TPS to our people,” Gustavo Marcano told the Miami Herald, using the acronym for Temporary Protective Status. “We hope our presence speaks loudly and that they will soon be freed.”

An estimated 200,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. could qualify for the special privileges most frequently given to those fleeing natural disasters or armed conflict, according to opposition leaders monitoring migration issues. A 2019 report by the Congressional Budget Office estimated that around 300,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. with either a legal non-immigrant status or no legal standing whatsoever could qualify.

Biden promised to grant TPS to Venezuelans already in the country during his campaign. Some analysts believe that is likely to transpire.

“We really do expect to see a TPS designation within the first month,” said Jose Magaña-Salgado, an immigration policy expert with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., a national nonpartisan and nonprofit organization. “Venezuela is the only country the Biden administration explicitly mentions in their immigration plan, likely because of the strong conditions on the ground.”

The tour by the Venezuelan leaders comes as the COVID-19 crisis continues to ravage ICE detention centers. Since March, 171 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Broward Transitional Center, federal data shows. As of Sunday, 12 detainees currently at the center are positive and in quarantine.

Marcano said Venezuelan leaders have gotten complaints about “conditions inside the facility” but he could not offer details.

“What I can say is that we spoke with the detainees and none of them have COVID or any symptoms. They are all healthy,” he said. “The facility is clean and protocols are being followed.”

According to the Guaidó appointees, 40 Venezuelan detainees–32 men and 8 women– are currently being held at the facility and about 250 are detained nationwide.

Over five million Venezuelans have fled their nation’s crippling economic and humanitarian crisis in recent years - with most fleeing for neighboring countries like Colombia. Nearly 400,000 Venezuelans were living in the U.S. as of 2018, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

Venezuela’s opposition is now at a crossroads, with their terms in the National Assembly due to expire after boycotting recent legislative elections. Meanwhile, thousands continue to flee — often embarking on risky trips by sea or on foot — as conditions in the country deteriorate.

“Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis under Nicolás Maduro’s leadership caused millions to leave the country,” said Brian Fincheltub, the opposition’s director of consular affairs in the U.S. “Biden has said it justifies the need for TPS and we are just saying a prayer that it comes to pass.”

The Biden transition team was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Earlier this month, TPS benefits, which were set to expire in January for an estimated 400,000 immigrants from Haiti, Nepal and Central America, were extended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security until October.

Other migrants given TPS in the past include those from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, among others.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2018, 1.7 million people held a temporary status or deferral of deportation with work authorization, including DACA beneficiaries, TPS holders and asylum applicants granted employment authorization.