The Biden administration recently extended a program allowing Venezuelans in the United States to legally stay in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through March 10, 2024. Due to the increased unrest in Venezuela, and the growing numbers of Venezuelan migrants trying to unlawfully cross and enter the United States at the southern border, the Biden Administration is considering having Venezuelan immigrants apply to arrive at U.S. ports of entry, such as an airport.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, in August 2022, 55,333 migrants encountered at the border were from Venezuela, Cuba or Nicaragua, which is a 175% increase from August 2021. The goals of the proposed Venezuelan migrant program are:
A Homeland Security official said that more than 1,000 Venezuelans are apprehended along the US-Mexico border daily. Venezuelans are now the second-largest nationality at the U.S. border, after Mexicans.
Venezuela is undergoing a severe political and economic crisis. More than 6 million Venezuelans have fled Venezuela as conditions have continued to deteriorate, including:
On October 12, the Biden Administration announced a new joint plan with Mexico that will grant up to 24,000 Venezuelans humanitarian access to the United States by air but allow U.S. officials to expel to Mexico anyone caught trying to cross into the United States illegally by land – over 33,000 in September 2022. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement:
“Those who attempt to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be returned to Mexico and will be ineligible for this process in the future. These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way. Those who attempt to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be returned to Mexico and will be ineligible for this process in the future.”
According to the statement, the new program will go into effect on October 12, 2022.
Do you need help with your immigration case? An experienced immigration attorney at Godoy Law Office in Cook and Dupage Counties, Illinois, can review your immigration eligibility and applications or renewals. Contact our office or call us at 630-912-0322.
