On his final night in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order deferring the removal of Venezuelans currently in the United States for 18 months, a move long advocated by his Florida Republican allies.
“The deteriorative condition within Venezuela, which presents an ongoing national security threat to the safety and well-being of the American people, warrants the deferral of the removal of Venezuelan nationals who are present in the United States,” Trump’s executive order reads.
The order applies to all nationals of Venezuela with the exception of those who are subject to extradition, are inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act or were deported, excluded or removed, prior to Jan. 20. It also authorizes their employment while in the United States.
President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office hours after Trump signed the order, has the authority to reverse or amend the executive action at any time. Transition officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The decision could benefit as much as 200,000 Venezuelans who are in fear of being detained and sent back to the troubled South American nation.
In October, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio urged Trump to grant Deferred Enforced Departure to eligible Venezuelans as a temporary solution, as the administration resisted granting them Temporary Protected Status. He and incoming Foreign Relations committee chairman, Bob Menendez, D-N.J., proposed legislation to grant TPS to Venezuelans but the bill was blocked in the Senate.
The Trump administration mounted a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign to remove Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro from power and instead supported opposition leader Juan Guadó as the country’s legitimate president. But efforts have failed and Maduro now controls all institutions in the country.
At his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Antony Blinken, who is set to head the State Department, said the Biden administration will continue supporting Guaidó as Venezuelan interim president and will continue putting pressure on “brutal dictator” Maduro.
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