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CHC Members Urge the Biden Administration to Extend and Redesignate TPS for Venezuelans

July 8, 2022

For Immediate Release

Friday, July 8, 2022

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Sebastian Roa

CHC Members Urge the Biden Administration to Extend and Redesignate TPS for Venezuelans

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the re-determination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela, Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) request that President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas, and Secretary Blinken extend and redesignate TPS for Venezuelans in the United States. In April, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) met with President Biden and sent a letter which proposed the Department of Homeland Security designate and redesignate TPS for a host of countries including Venezuela.

"The CHC urges the Biden Administration to redesignate and extend TPS for Venezuela. The humanitarian crisis there has persisted, and conditions continue to deteriorate. We must help those fleeing autocracies in search of life-saving resources. By extending TPS for Venezuelans, we will help keep families together while standing up for our American values of freedom and opportunity," said Chair Dr. Ruiz.

"As mentioned during our meeting with President Biden and White House Senior officials in April, we urge the Biden administration to extend and redesignate TPS protections for migrants from Venezuela as the nation faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing civil unrest, and violence," said CHCVice-Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Rep. Adriano Espaillat. "Conditions in the nation have deteriorated since our last designation, and Venezuelans continue to suffer from insecurity due to lack of access to food, water, and healthcare, with inflation severely curtailing their ability to have an adequate source of income to purchase essential goods and services for survival. We must continue to address the root causes of migration throughout Central America in a holistic manner, including by taking this important step to uphold humanitarian protections and safeguard U.S. national security interests—and this starts with protecting the most vulnerable when they need our assistance the most."

"Until political stability and food security are restored, and economic recovery is underway, extending and re-designating Venezuela for TPS is the best way to show our support for those fleeing the oppressive Maduro regime. I believe the administration will do the right thing and look forward to working together to find a more permanent solution for Venezuelans in need of refuge," said CHC Vice Chair of Policy Rep. Darren Soto.

"Extending the Temporary Protected Status of Venezuelans serves to reaffirm our country's commitment to safeguarding the rights of asylum seekers," said Rep. Veronica Escobar. "I urge President Biden to extend the protections already offered to the Venezuelans coming to our country in search of a better life."

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.