The U.S. hopes such a program will discourage more Venezuelans from crossing the border illegally.
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More than 150,000 Venezuelans have been apprehended at the southwestern U.S. border between October 2021 through the end of August.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering a humanitarian parole program for some Venezuelans, according to two administration officials familiar with the proposal, a plan that the administration hopes will discourage Venezuelans from continuing to cross the southwestern border illegally.
More than 150,000 Venezuelans have been apprehended there between October 2021 through the end of August.
If implemented, the program for Venezuelans would be similar to a humanitarian program offered to Ukrainians. While the Ukrainian program received bipartisan support, Republicans have been less welcoming to the massive number of Venezuelans who have been fleeing political instability and poverty.
Because of a lack of diplomatic relations with Caracas, the United States has not been able to repatriate most of the Venezuelans who come to the United States and turn themselves in to border officials. Instead, the administration has been giving most permission to stay in the country temporarily and face deportation proceedings in immigration court.
The details of the humanitarian parole program and why the administration is considering this plan now were not immediately clear. Immigration advocates for months have been calling for a more orderly process for vulnerable immigrants to come to the country without crossing illegally between ports of entry.
The Biden administration has seen a record number of entries by undocumented migrants, as part of a migration trend happening around the world with more displaced people than ever, according to the United Nations. Because legal paths to immigration in the United States have constricted so much over the years, crossing the southwestern border without documentation and seeking humanitarian relief has become the best option for many.
In recent months, thousands of Venezuelans have been making the dangerous journey through the Darien Gap to get to the United States. Most of those who have been allowed to stay temporarily will eventually face removal proceedings that will likely take years to advance. The United Nations estimates that more than 6.8 million Venezuelans have fled their country.
Source: nytimes.com
