In one of his latest decisions in office, Donald Trump on Tuesday granted an 18-month deportation shelter to Venezuelans who are currently in U.S. territory due to the crisis in his country.
The Republican president granted the benefit of the Deferred Forced Exit (DED in English) to Venezuelans in the face of “the deteriorating situation within Venezuela” caused by the autocratic government of Nicolás Maduro, according to a memorandum published by the White House. “I have determined that it is in the interest of U.S. foreign policy to defer the expulsion of any Venezuelan national, or foreigner without nationality who for the last time has habitually resided in Venezuela,” Trump said.
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The text says that those who have been in the United States continuously until January 20, 2021, have not been convicted of a crime or have previously been expelled from the country, or pose a risk to public safety, will be eligible for the DED. among other conditions.
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Trump also ordered to authorize the occupation in the country of the Venezuelans while the postponement lasts. The move had been pushed by the Republican allies as president in Florida, where many Venezuelans have settled after fleeing economic collapse and political crisis in their home country, ruled for more than two decades by a socialist regime. .
the Miami Herald he said the order could benefit up to 200,000 Venezuelans living under threat of detention and deportation. Venezuela, once an oil power, is experiencing a sharp economic debacle since Maduro came to power in 2013, a situation that has led to the departure of more than 5.4 million people, according to the UN .
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“The Trump administration has taken an important and much-needed step,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the architects of the outgoing government’s policy of maximum pressure in Caracas. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, representing a Florida district, also applauded the initiative. The move looks like a last-minute gift to the Venezuelan-born electorate in Florida, where Trump’s anti-socialist rhetoric made an impact and helped him win that crucial state in the November election.
Biden promised the TPS
Trump’s decision came 16 hours before Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as U.S. president on Wednesday, as part of a tense transition of command after the Republican failed to acknowledge his defeat for months.
During the election campaign, Biden pledged to grant the so-called Temporary Protection Statute (TPS in English) to Venezuelans affected by “the humanitarian crisis caused by the Maduro regime.” This benefit was created in the 1990s to allow foreigners who could not return safely to their country due to natural disasters or political instability to reside legally.
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A bill to grant TPS to Venezuelans was passed in 2019 in the Democratic-majority House of Representatives, but did not advance to the Republican-controlled Senate. The Trump administration, which sought to end the TPS program, was reluctant to grant this Statute to Venezuelans in the United States, fearing that it would become a path to citizenship for many undocumented people.
Unlike the DED, granted directly by the President, the TPS is granted by the Secretary of Homeland Security and requires consultations with the Secretary of State.
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Venezuela, once an oil power, is experiencing a sharp economic debacle since Maduro came to power in 2013, a situation that has led to the departure of more than 5.4 million people, according to the UN