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Politics

Darren Soto, Mario Diaz-Balart Want Venezuelans Fleeing Maduro Regime to Have Temporary Protected Status

January 21, 2019 - 6:00pm
Darren Soto and Mario Diaz-Balart
Darren Soto and Mario Diaz-Balart

Last week, two Florida congressmen--Democrat U.S. Rep. Darren Soto and Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart--brought out a proposal which would permit Venezuelans fleeing the Maduro regime to become eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Soto and Diaz-Balart showcased the proposal on Thursday. 

“The Maduro regime has perpetrated egregious human rights abuses and corrupted Venezuela’s once democratic institutions, leading to an economic, humanitarian, and security crisis and forcing millions of Venezuelans to seek refuge abroad. Under TPS, Venezuelans would be shielded from deportation and granted work authorization, allowing for individuals to pay taxes and contribute to their communities. The Venezuela TPS Act also allows for individuals to travel abroad for emergencies and extenuating circumstances,” Soto’s office insisted. 

The Central Florida Democrat ripped into the Maduro regime when he introduced the proposal.  

“The now illegitimate Presidency of Nicolás Maduro has only brought suffering and despair to the people of Venezuela,” Soto said. “During Maduro’s tyrannical rule, Venezuela’s economy has deteriorated at alarming rates, causing a scarcity of basic foods and medicine in the country. The whole world has witnessed Maduro’s blatant disregard for human rights, including arbitrary arrests, media censorship, imprisonment of the opposition, and the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters. For these reasons, Venezuela should be added as a country designated for TPS as a way to help protect our brothers and sisters escaping Maduro’s terror. I thank my colleague Rep. Diaz-Balart for joining this bipartisan effort to assist the millions of Venezuelans who now call Florida home.”

“For years, the Venezuelan people have suffered under the oppression of the Chavez-Maduro regime,” Diaz-Balart said. “Hyperinflation, drastic shortages, and egregious human rights abuses have forced many Venezuelans into exile, and the conditions in Venezuela remain too perilous for them to return. Political opposition leaders are imprisoned, and some have died under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, Maduro’s thugs abduct, detain, and imprison protesters, while his state police and intelligence services use violence, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests to silence them. I am grateful to be able to provide a solution to so many who are escaping Maduro's totalitarian regime. For this reason, I proudly join my Florida colleague Congressman Soto in introducing bipartisan legislation to allow Venezuelan nationals living in the United States to become eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). We must not force Venezuelans who have sought safety in the United States to return to such dangerous conditions.”

“The Venezuela TPS Act” would give Venezuelans who flee their country protection from being deported by the U.S and permit them to have an employment authorization document (EAD) and travel authorization . The bill would give fleeing Venezuelans an 18 month period of automatic  eligibility. 

The two congressmen are not the only members of the Florida delegation engaged on the issue. 

Last month, from his perch as chairman of the U.S. Senate Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues Subcommittee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also showcased a proposal to offer Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans fleeing the Maduro regime. 

Rubio joined Democrat U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Bob Menendez of New Jersey to bring out the “Venezuela Temporary Protected Status and Asylum Assistance Act.”

“Established by the U.S. Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS is a temporary, renewable program that provides relief from deportation and access to a work permit for foreign nationals from certain countries who are unable to safely return to their home country due to natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions,” Rubio’s office noted about the legislation. 

“As Venezuelans continue to face serious threats to their safety and livelihood at the hands of Maduro’s narcoterrorist tyranny, it is clear in-country conditions warrant granting temporary protected status to Venezuelan nationals residing in the U.S.,” Rubio said. “Granting this protection will provide a temporary solution to many Venezuelans who fear returning to their homeland due to the ongoing crisis and extraordinarily difficult conditions.”

Comments

I'm totally against providing any kind of "temporary protection status" for any other country. Period. We've been taken advantage of for way too long. My view is to do what I think Trump has quietly been doing in the Middle East: Keeping Syrians in camps close or in their own country helping to rebuild their own country. I want my tax money to go to helping people rebuild their own countries themselves. Why hasn't our hemisphere's neighboring countries to our South ever been able to develop into first world countries? For starters, the PEOPLE do not have guns! The corrupt armed government militaries in partnership with the armed drug cartels run these countries. I recall that Ollie North under Reagan tried to arm the Sandinistas in Nicaragua to oust the corrupt criminal leader, Noriega. Because this project was clonidine Ollie was scapegoated and charged with serious crimes. I remember the televised hearings. Ollie was my hero to stand up and take the unjust and unfair slings and arrows. I can't remember if he served time or not. Anyway, if Congress had had any backbone, we would have oked payment to private militias to root out and destroy the drug cartels and corrupt leaders in each of the Central and South American countries. I know that idea sounds extreme but look at the result of our inability to take needed action in our own hemisphere! Now, we have to also confront and destroy Russian, Chinese and Iranian influences in those countries. What a mess! At least we should have debate on what to do to really handle the crisis on our Southern Border. The wall is just the start. Once that is in place and operating as a working barrier to illegal migration into our country, we must look at all the options we have to stop the subversive aiding and abetting by entities within the U.S. who are supporting these invading foreigners trying to take over our government for their own evil purposes. We can't keep sticking our head in the sand and expect an acceptable outcome for our country. I would take a close look at what these politicians have to gain should their bill be approved. I'm sick to death of politicians bringing in foreigners under a "feel good" humanitarian guize. We already are being bombarded on our Southern Border by caravans of invading foreigners who look better clothed and fed than most of our inner city poverty areas needing our help. HELP OUR OWN CITIZENS FIRST!

I agree with C.Breeze. The Venezuelans should take care of their own problems. When the American colonists faced oppression under their government . . . .they fought the strongest nation in the world, Britain, and won their freedom. The people of Venezuela should do the same . . . .fight for their freedom and for control of their government.

Oh yeah..?!?!?..... WELL,.. Americans want protections from ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS "attacking" our borders (and our Nation, destroying our economy and our culture) !!! BUILD THE F#*%ING WALL....NOW !!!!! (AND, too Hell with Venezuela, they are themseves to blame for their own situation !) AMERICA FIRST !!!!!!! ALWAYS !!!!!!!!

Yeah, add to the already too intense and too partisan immigrant controversy! Dumb!

It's about time!

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