Chad Wolf, former acting secretary of Homeland Security during the Donald Trump administration, warned that smugglers or coyotes, as they are also known, take advantage of the extension on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants.
The move, announced on Thursday by the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Alejandro Mayorkas, will further encourage the movement of undocumented immigrants towards the southern border of the country because they will be given the benefit they want, Wolf stated in Voice of America.
The renewal and expansion of TPS will benefit 472,000 Venezuelans, who can live and work legally in the North American country.
Mayorkas, in a press conference, explained that the program will be expanded until all Venezuelan citizens who have been continuously living in the United States since July 31 of this year are welcome.
This significantly increases the number of people who will benefit from protection within 18 months.
The Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States explained that It is not safe for foreigners to return to their country due to humanitarian, security, political and environmental conditions, which have not changed.
He said Joe Biden’s government is using “the few tools it has” because Congress hasn’t approved important changes needed to the country’s immigration system, which is “absolutely broken.”
“It is important that Venezuelans understand that Those who arrived here after July 31, 2023 will not be able to access of that protection and, instead, will be deported when it is determined that they have no legal reasons to stay,” the official warned.
