Two bills, one each in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate would result
in a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) aka amnesty for Venezuelans in
the United States. While the text of
House Bill H.R. 549 differs from the text of its Senate
companion bill S. 636, the overarching question to ask is why should Congress
grant an amnesty “free pass” to Venezuelans worried their asylum application
will be denied?
Documents obtained from Florida Department of Children and
Families shed light on the answer to this question.
An announcement was made to 63 attendees of the Tampa Bay
Area Refugee Task Force meeting held January 22, 2019.
“…a brief announcement by Norma
Reno, president of the Casa de Venezuela of Tampa Bay organization. She
announced that there are currently over 20,000 from Venezuela in the Tampa
Bay area. While some are seeking asylum, many are also concerned about being
denied asylum and are staying in the community without documentation. Casa
de Venezuela is offering English classes & civic classes to educate the
community as well as support services for those in need. Task Force members
will stay connected with this and other organizations serving those from
Venezuela to ensure that they are aware of the services we can provide for
those who qualify and are in need.
Venezuelans currently in Florida should be worried
about the denial of an asylum application, especially if their visa to enter
the U.S. was obtained through fraud or their entry to the U.S. through
misrepresentation.
Let the petitions of Venezuelan seeking permission to remain in the U.S. succeed or fail on the facts of each case.
