Temporary Immigration Protections For Venezuelans Passes In House

The House passed a bipartisan bill to grant Venezuelans temporary relief from immigration enforcement Thursday after failing to pass the measure Tuesday.

The Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 passed 272-158 and included 39 Republicans who voted in favor. Florida Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican, and Darren Soto, a Democrat, co-sponsored the bill.

The bill gives Venezuelans Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. as civil unrest grows in their home country. This allows them to live and work legally in America, News 13 reported.

“We all know that the situation in Venezuela is dire. This is exactly the type of situation that necessitates the Temporary Protected Status program,” Soto said during a press conference before the vote Thursday. “Venezuelans are the largest asylum seekers of any nation as of the last couple of weeks, and we see food and water in short supply, people being murdered by their own government.”

The House first voted on the bill Tuesday, but failed to pass with a two-thirds majority, according to The Hill. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer commended the second vote Thursday.

“The House of Representatives just spoke in a bipartisan voice that the situation is Venezuela is so dire and dangerous that nationals of Venezuela should be eligible for temporary protected status,” Schumer wrote in a statement according to The Hill. “I commend this legislative effort, as President Trump recently denied bipartisan congressional requests to extend TPS relief for Venezuelans.”

The bill will go to the U.S. Senate for a vote.