García, Espaillat, Lead Congressional Letter Urging Administration to Extend Humanitarian Parole to Venezuelan Asylum Seekers
Members Also Call for Redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
WASHINGTON, DC --This week, Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and led congressional colleagues in a letter urging the Biden administration to implement an executive order to extend humanitarian parole to Venezuelan asylum seekers and redesignate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
“Venezuelans fleeing oppressive conditions caused by the economic and political collapse in their country, need and deserve immediate relief. Many lack access to basic human needs like food, medicine, and shelter. Children are suffering from hunger, malnutrition, and trauma,” said Congressman García. “We cannot fail them. That’s why we are calling on the Biden Administration to swiftly extend humanitarian parole and redesignate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status to allow these migrants to stay in the United States.”
“Families from Venezuela are fleeing violence, insecurity, malnutrition, as well as the lack of medicine and essential services, and the United Nations has called the situation in Venezuela one of the largest external displacement crises in the world,” said Congressman Espaillat. “We are urging DHS to redesignate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and review on a case-by-case basis the requests of vulnerable individuals and families seeking asylum here in America. We cannot turn our backs on the humanitarian crisis at our border, when these individuals need our help the most now.”
On September 8, 2022, a Notice issued on the Federal Register extended the designation of Venezuela for TPS but did not redesignate Venezuela for TPS. By not redesignating, Venezuelans who entered the United States after March 8, 2021, and meet the TPS eligibility criteria remain ineligible. As a result, relief is denied for thousands of migrants currently residing in the United States that have recently fled unsafe conditions in Venezuela.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela warrants a favorable exercise of discretion for parole as well as the redesignation of Venezuela for TPS.
# # #