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Washington, D.C. (July 22, 2019) – Ahead of an upcoming House vote on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, analysis from the Center for Immigration Studies finds that the TPS program is badly in need of reform, is rarely actually "temporary", and in the case of Venezuela, may inadvertently benefit the Maduro regime.
Venezuela has experienced a massive outflow of two to three million migrants following political unrest and a dispute over the presidency between socialist Hugo Chavez protegé Nicolas Maduro and U.S.-backed Juan Guaido. The Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States has grown sharply, from 42,000 in 1990 to over 351,000 in 2017— an 836 percent increase. The House intends to vote on HR549, which would grant TPS to Venezuelans, allowing them to remain in the United States. The bill is sponsored by 29 Democrats and three Republicans. Just passing the bill in the House would likely encourage people to leave, as the date for TPS qualification would be the date of the bill's enactment.
Dan Cadman, a fellow at the Center and author of the analysis, pointed out that despite the name, TPS is rarely temporary and has lasted for decades for other Latin American groups: "Once granted, TPS almost always becomes irrevocable and results in massive resistance once the program is supposed to end. Why create yet another program for aliens who will simply take to the streets to demand their right to stay forever in a few years when the program is up?"
For example, Liberians have enjoyed "temporary" protection since 1991 due to a civil war that ended in 1997, and Nicaraguans still enjoy protection from a 1999 earthquake.
View the full analysis: https://cis.org/Cadman/TPS-Venezuela
Further, as CIS fellow David North noted, TPS for Venezuelans could inadvertently benefit the Maduro regime which the United States is seeking to oust. After the United States granted protection to Cubans fleeing the Castro regime, the revolutionary energy to overthrow Castro faded as many of the anti-Castro Cubans had left Cuba for Miami. TPS for Venezuelans could cause a similar effect, with pro-Maduro Venezuelans choosing to remain and fight while anti-Maduro Venezuelans flee before final enactment.
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