WASHINGTON—The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country—quickly making them eligible to work—as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to arrive at the US border with Mexico. The move—along with promises
WASHINGTON—The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country—quickly making them eligible to work—as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to arrive at the US border with Mexico.
That’s in addition to about 242,700 Venezuelans who already qualified for temporary status before Wednesday’s announcement. Venezuelans who arrive in the US after July 31 of this year will not be eligible for the protection. Those who are now eligible have to apply to get it. The promise of accelerated work permits does not apply to people who cross the border illegally and seek asylum, who, by law, must wait for six months to receive work permits.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement late Wednesday that she was “grateful the federal government has acted so speedily to grant one of our top priorities: Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan asylum seekers and migrants who have already arrived in this country.” According to Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber, about 2,700 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass on Tuesday and about 3,000 Wednesday.