Washington, .- The Judiciary Committee of the Lower House today authorized a bill that seeks to grant an immigration protection known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS, in its acronym in English) for Venezuelans given the “humanitarian crisis” that lives that South American country.
The measure, which was approved in the Judicial Committee of the House of Representatives by 20 votes in favor and 9 against, is now directed to the plenary of the Lower House to be voted.
According to the legislators, the TPS, a migratory benefit that would allow working and living legally in the country to thousands of Venezuelans, would be the demonstration that the US supports a “democratic transition” in Venezuela.
“Thousands of Venezuelans come to experience an unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis, and can not return, it’s time to act and pass the TPS to them!” said Democratic congresswoman Donna Shalala of Florida after the vote.
The legislative proposal was presented in January by Republican congressman Mario Díaz-Balart and Democrat Darren Soto, both representatives of districts in Florida, a state with a large presence of Venezuelan migrants.
The TPS is a migration program created in 1990 with which the US grants permits in an extraordinary manner to nationals of countries affected by armed conflicts or natural disasters.
For decades, the government automatically renewed the TPS, but the president, Donald Trump, has decided to end some of those permits, arguing that they are temporary and it is up to Congress to pass a law to regularize the situation of their beneficiaries.
Specifically, in recent months, Trump has canceled the TPS for countries such as Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras; so the concession of a TPS for Venezuela would suppose a rupture in the migratory line that has followed until now.
In February, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the extension until January 2, 2020 of the TPS for beneficiaries from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan, in compliance with a court ruling.
Being a bill that has bipartisan support, it is very likely that it will have the support of the House of Representatives and the Senate, with a Democratic and Republican majority, respectively.
Precisely, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate today evaluated another legislative proposal on Venezuela.
This measure, known as “Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance and Development Act” (TRUTH, in its acronym in English) aims to raise up to 400 million dollars of humanitarian aid to Venezuela. (EFEUSA)
