Washington, DC – Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, co-chair of the Venezuela Democracy Caucus, led 37 Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing dismay over the Trump administration’s baseless decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans fleeing horrific and inhumane conditions.
The letter requests Secretary Rubio provide an explanation for why the administration would strip protected status from 348,000 Venezuelans legally residing in the United States and send them to a country led by a regime he described as an “enemy of humanity,” dealing a painful blow to the Venezuelan-American communities whose loved ones are affected.
Text of the letter can be found below. A PDF copy of the letter can be found here.
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write to express our dismay over the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. As Venezuelans continue to suffer under the Maduro regime, we are deeply troubled by the disconnect between the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) claims of “notable improvements” in Venezuela and your own repeated characterizations of the Maduro regime as a grave threat to its people and the world.
On February 5th, DHS justified terminating TPS for Venezuelans by citing “notable improvements in several areas such as the economy, public health, and crime” claiming conditions now allow for safe returns. Yet just one day later, on February 6th, you contradicted this assessment, stating, “I do not know how else to talk about a regime that has forced about 8 million citizens to leave Venezuela. They imprison, they torture innocent individuals.” You have previously referred to the Maduro regime as an “enemy of humanity,” and on February 26th, in an official transcript from the Department of State, you reaffirmed that Maduro remains a horrible dictator and the “same threat today that he was two years ago, three years ago, four years ago.”
Venezuelans fleeing horrific, inhumane conditions have received refuge in the United States since the start of the humanitarian crisis through TPS, a program that has enjoyed bipartisan support. The Trump Administration’s decision to revoke TPS for 348,000 Venezuelans is not just dangerous, it is a betrayal of the Venezuelan-American community. It defies logic that the United States would deport individuals to a country you yourself have described as an “enemy of humanity,” one that has driven 8 million people to flee, imprisons dissidents, and tortures innocent civilians. We therefore request an explanation of what drastic change occurred in Venezuela between February 5th, when DHS declared Venezuela safe for return, and February 6th when you reaffirmed the brutal reality of Maduro’s dictatorship. We look forward to your prompt response.
The letter requests Secretary Rubio provide an explanation for why the administration would strip protected status from 348,000 Venezuelans legally residing in the United States and send them to a country led by a regime he described as an “enemy of humanity,” dealing a painful blow to the Venezuelan-American communities whose loved ones are affected.
Text of the letter can be found below. A PDF copy of the letter can be found here.
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write to express our dismay over the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. As Venezuelans continue to suffer under the Maduro regime, we are deeply troubled by the disconnect between the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) claims of “notable improvements” in Venezuela and your own repeated characterizations of the Maduro regime as a grave threat to its people and the world.
On February 5th, DHS justified terminating TPS for Venezuelans by citing “notable improvements in several areas such as the economy, public health, and crime” claiming conditions now allow for safe returns. Yet just one day later, on February 6th, you contradicted this assessment, stating, “I do not know how else to talk about a regime that has forced about 8 million citizens to leave Venezuela. They imprison, they torture innocent individuals.” You have previously referred to the Maduro regime as an “enemy of humanity,” and on February 26th, in an official transcript from the Department of State, you reaffirmed that Maduro remains a horrible dictator and the “same threat today that he was two years ago, three years ago, four years ago.”
Venezuelans fleeing horrific, inhumane conditions have received refuge in the United States since the start of the humanitarian crisis through TPS, a program that has enjoyed bipartisan support. The Trump Administration’s decision to revoke TPS for 348,000 Venezuelans is not just dangerous, it is a betrayal of the Venezuelan-American community. It defies logic that the United States would deport individuals to a country you yourself have described as an “enemy of humanity,” one that has driven 8 million people to flee, imprisons dissidents, and tortures innocent civilians. We therefore request an explanation of what drastic change occurred in Venezuela between February 5th, when DHS declared Venezuela safe for return, and February 6th when you reaffirmed the brutal reality of Maduro’s dictatorship. We look forward to your prompt response.