The Biden administration is granting temporary legal status to thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country. This decision aims to prevent them from fleeing the South American country to the US border with Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to grant temporary status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country as of July 31, 2023. This move addresses a major demand from Democratic mayors who have been struggling to provide proper facilities and care to migrants. Particularly in Chicago and New York cities, there is no longer the shelter capacity to handle the influx of migrants. This action will be an addition to the 242,700 Venezuelans who are already eligible for temporary status.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was shouted down by angry protesters who were calling for "Close the border" while she was presenting the three points of consensus on the issue. The protesters alleged that the government should make immigrants American citizens and allow them to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Several Republican senators took to X to express their concerns over border security. Senator Mike Lee from Utah posted on Twitter regarding this move by the Biden administration, saying, "I thought the border was secure," and tagged Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He shared a combined video of Democrats advocating for border protection. A similar post was shared by Senator Steve Daines, who also raised the same question while sharing a tweet from Fox's correspondent Bill Melugin Senator Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted, "President Biden has welcomed this devastating humanitarian crisis. Open borders aren't compassionate.". The opposition is using the hashtag #BidenBorderCrisis in their tweets.
Following the politicians, netizens are also expressing their dissent on social media. Some of them support the step taken by the Biden administration, calling it legitimate for asylum and addressing it as an American democratic principle. However, another section is castigating it as a move to make Americans a minority in their own country and avoid addressing concerns like homelessness, jobs, flooding, etc., affecting Americans. Some are even calling it treason and a move to secure votes for the 2024 election and anticipating the same for Haitian immigrants.
