The White House on Monday announced a temporary protected status decree that could allow tens of thousands of Venezuelans who fled their homeland to remain in the United States with legal standing. The program marks a significant shift in U.S. policy from the Trump administration, which denied Venezuelans protection even as President Trump tried to overthrow the leftist government in Caracas. His administration also secretly deported Venezuelans despite clamor in Congress for protected status for the refugees. This led the Trump administration, already sponsoring measures to reduce legal and illegal immigration, to end large parts of the programs. More than 50% of Venezuelan asylum claims are denied on average, according to Syracuse University’s TRAC database of federal immigration statistics.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 08, 2021 18:38 UTC