A humanitarian crisis has pushed more than 7 million people to leave Venezuela over the past decade, some settling in South and Central America and others coming to the US. Those who arrive here have often found themselves in desperate circumstances.
Without work authorization, many have been unable to provide for themselves the most basic necessities of life, like food, shelter and clothing. Some have found themselves living on the streets of US cities — a shocking plight for people who already endured violence and instability before making their way here.
In a bid to help address this, the Biden Administration last month announced the redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which now allows nearly half a million Venezuelans who entered the US before July 31, 2023, to apply to remain here and work lawfully for an 18-month period.
While some are spreading fears that these protections will inspire more migrants to come to the country, the weight of the evidence shows otherwise: Prior TPS designations have not led to increased unauthorized migration. In fact, our research shows that TPS actually decreases the pressures driving such migration.
The above excerpt was originally published in CNN.
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