The US offers work permits to half a million Venezuelans already in the country.

The United States gives work licenses to half a million Venezuelans living there.
The steep increase in the number of people fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela in recent years has contributed to the record number of illegal border crossings that President Joe Biden, a Democrat running for reelection in 2024, has confronted.

Many of Biden’s fellow Democrats, most notably Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, have urged him to broaden access to employment opportunities for recently arrived migrants, who have strained local and state resources.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States has stated that expanding protected status for Venezuelans is needed because of “Venezuela’s increased instability and lack of safety.”

It is difficult for the United States to deport Venezuelans to their native country due to the frosty diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the United States. However, due to an agreement between the United States and Mexico, thousands of non-Mexicans, including Venezuelans, have been deported to Mexico over the past few months.

A request for comment sent to Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not immediately met with a response.

After implementing more stringent asylum criteria by the Biden administration in May, fewer illegal migrants crossed the United States-Mexico border. However, the number of unlawful crossings has increased again in subsequent months.
According to the White House, the Pentagon will send an extra 800 active-duty troops to the border and the 2,500 National Guard members already there. This will help free up agents who work for the Border Patrol.

In addition, the administration of Vice President Joe Biden plans to broaden across the entire country a program that was initiated in May to expeditiously process migrant families who are requesting refuge and possibly deporting them.

To free up government resources to process new applications, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would extend the time that work permits are valid for certain immigrants, including asylum seekers, to five years.