The US Department of Homeland Security cleared the way for more Venezuelan immigrants to obtain work permits on Wednesday by extending Temporary Protected Status to refugee seekers fleeing the troubled country to the US.
The 18-month extension to the program, as well as a new influx of more recent border crossers, was announced by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after New York officials appealed to President Biden to help address the immigrant crisis in NYC.
Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke with Biden about the crisis and pointed to working authorization as a potential solution Tuesday night, while the president visits the Big Apple this week.
“After my productive conversation with President Biden last night, I am grateful that the federal government acted so quickly to grant one of our top priorities: granting Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan asylum seekers and immigrants who have arrived in this country,” he said in a statement.
“There is more work to be done as we deal with this crisis, but New York state is ready to immediately begin the process of registering people for work authorization and getting them into jobs so they can become self-sufficient.”
Temporary protected status prevents immigrants from being removed from the US and allows them to work in the country. Paul Martinka
Hochul said he urged Biden to extend temporary protected status for Venezuelan immigrants in a conversation with the president Tuesday night. Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
Hochul said he has been trying for more than a year to get temporary protected status that would allow them to work in the US.
He said working immigrants would earn money to start living independently instead of relying on the shelter system – cleaning up resources as cities struggle to find and pay for emergency housing for the continued influx of asylum seekers.
“Work authorization is the way out of the immigrant crisis,” Hochul said. “Individuals who achieve legal work status will be able to exit the shelter system, find work opportunities and have a chance at the American Dream.”
Following the DHS announcement, the governor unveiled a major initiative Wednesday night that will increase state resources and staff to help eligible immigrants file for work authorization and connect them with employers. More than 70 personnel from 16 different state agencies will be assigned to the effort.
Another 50 DHS employees have been stationed in New York to process migrant work authorization applications.
About 41% of immigrants coming to NYC from the southern border are Venezuelans, according to City Hall data released last month. More than 110,000 immigrants in total have entered New York City since spring 2022.
Mayor Eric Adams said the White House informed him of the change in the position Wednesday night. He thanked Biden a day after the president failed to meet with him to discuss the crippling impact of the immigrant crisis on NYC.
“Our administration and our partners across the city have led the call to ‘Let Them Work,’ so I want to thank President Biden for listening to our entire coalition, including our hard-working congressional delegation, and taking this important step that will bringing hope to the thousands of Venezuelan asylum seekers currently in our care who will now immediately qualify for Temporary Protected Status,” Adams said in a statement.
The expansion of the DHS program grants status to Venezuelans who were in the US before July 31, 2023. It previously only applied to those who arrived before March 2021.
“It is important for Venezuelans to understand that those who have arrived here after July 31, 2023, are not eligible for such protection, and instead will be removed when they are found to have no legal basis to stay,” Mayorkas said.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced an 18-month extension to the protected status of Venezuelan immigrants as well as a new influx of more recent border crossings. Getty Images
He said the extension and expansion of the protection status is justified “due to the extraordinary and temporary situation in Venezuela that prevents individuals from safely returning.”
The status also protects eligible immigrants from deportation.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
