The White House on Monday will announce a temporary protected status decision that will allow tens of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing their homeland to remain in the United States with legal status, congressional sources said.
The program points to a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuelans, who has been denied protection in most of the Trump administration, even as President Trump tried to overthrow the left-wing government in Caracas. His administration also secretly deported Venezuelans, despite shouts in Congress for protected status for Venezuelan refugees.
Only on his last day in office did Trump issue an executive order postponing the removal of Venezuelans for 18 months, but it kept them in the fray.
A White House announcement was expected later Monday, but a staff member in the office of Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) Confirmed that administration officials had notified the office in advance of the move. A second Senate office confirmed the decision.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 4 million Venezuelans have fled poverty, hunger, disease and the brutal repression of President Nicolás Maduro. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 4 million Venezuelans have left their country.