Based on Trump’s memo, the US will postpone the removal of certain Venezuelan nationals present in the US on January 18 for 18 months. It also allowed the Venezuelans to work during that period.
Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consider using DED to protect Venezuelans, but talks have stalled over resistance to the relief for exiles in Trump’s Venezuela strategy. The outgoing president’s strategy focused on sanctions to put maximum pressure on the Maduro regime.
The move to use DED instead of TPS stems from a long-standing concern from some Republicans that TPS will eventually become a path to permanent residency in the United States. Deferred forced departure is designated by the President and gives the CEO the ability to terminate it without so many procedural obstacles.
The presentation of DED to Venezuelans is expected to protect about 200,000 Venezuelan citizens in the U.S. from deportation – the same number as would be possible under TPS, according to TPS estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.
Republicans in Florida, such as Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, have long campaigned for the Trump administration to grant temporary legal status to Venezuelans, given the dire situation in the South American country. It has also long been sold as a way to build more goodwill with the Venezuelan community in South Florida.
Despite not granting TPS to Venezuelans, Trump – with his anti-socialist messages from his campaign – won in Doral, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, and it has made significant gains since 2016 .
People close to Trump’s decision at the last minute said White House advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were involved in promoting it. The decision – which ends less than 16 hours before Trump’s presidency – is likely to come as welcome news in South Florida, where he, his daughter and son-in-law will soon be living.
Senate Marco Rubio, who was heavily involved in Trump’s policy in Latin America, hinted Sunday that an announcement could come soon.
“Still hopeful that the president, as I proposed a year ago and again three months ago, will grant a deferred forced departure (DED) to eligible Venezuelan nationals currently living in the United States,” Rubio (R- Fla.) posted on Twitter.
Elected President Joe Biden had earlier promised to grant Venezuelans temporary protected status. In 2019, the Democratic-led House passed a dual bill to grant TPS to Venezuelans. But the legislation was kept in the GOP-controlled Senate, despite support from Rubio.