Biden Officials Refuse to Give Hundreds of Thousands of Immigrants Legal Status Amid Border Concerns
Washington — President Biden’s senior immigration advisers have blocked nearly 400,000 people from having the opportunity to legally work and reside in the United States under a program known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to concerns over a potential surge in border crossings. three people familiar with the internal affairs said. The debate told CBS News.
Earlier this year, officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formulated plans to expand the decades-old TPS program for immigrants from Nicaragua, citing worsening conditions in the Central American country. It was determined that the expansion was worth considering, said a person familiar with the matter. I wish to remain anonymous regarding internal deliberations. In recent years, a record number of Nicaraguans have fled poverty, most of them immigrating to the United States. government repression.
According to internal government estimates, the proposal to expand or redesignate the TPS program for Nicaragua would make nearly 400,000 Nicaraguan immigrants in the United States eligible to apply for government work permits and deportation protection. become. The plan was reviewed at a high level internally and sent to the White House and other agencies for approval.
However, the government eventually canceled it without expanding TPS eligibility, at least for now, partly due to concerns by White House officials that the announcement of a generous immigration program would lead to a surge in immigration along the U.S. coastline. decided to The number of illegal immigrants at the Mexican border has plummeted since early May, officials said.
Instead, the administration announced on Tuesday It would extend the TPS designations for Nicaragua and three other countries that the Trump administration had sought to end, allowing existing beneficiaries to renew their eligibility, but keeping the program closed to new applicants. become.
While the TPS does not benefit immigrants who have not yet arrived in the United States, some government officials have long believed that the expansion of the program would “attract” illegal immigrants, even if new arrivals were not eligible. I have expressed concern that it may function as a factor. for it. Nicaraguans visited the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers last year, but arrivals from Nicaragua have fallen recently.
“We are seized with concerns that redesignation will become a magnet,” said one of the people involved.
Immigration advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have cast doubt on the concerns of the pull factor, saying the dire situation in Nicaragua and other crisis-hit countries clearly deserves a TPS redesignation.
Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez told CBS News, “The claim that TPS is a pull factor is completely false.” “Study after study has repeatedly shown that TPS designation does not correlate with irregular migration. It helps me stay home.”
Menendez said he was concerned that political concerns were influencing the administration’s decision-making on immigration.
“Political considerations of simply ‘let’s be tough’, which the administration seems to adopt from where they were and follow Republican tenets, will never satisfy Republicans in Congress. But most importantly, The thing is, it wouldn’t really solve the problem,” he added.
The White House declined to comment. A DHS representative did not respond to questions about TPS’s decision-making process.
The administration has not authorized the extension of TPS eligibility to Nicaraguans, but officials may change course in the future. DHS said on Tuesday “We are closely monitoring the situation around the world to assess whether the new TPS designation is warranted.”
In addition to deliberating on TPS eligibility for Nicaraguans, the administration is also debating whether to extend a similar program to Venezuelan immigrants.
Some officials fear the expansion of the TPS against these countries could disrupt the low levels of immigration recorded along the southern border in recent weeks, but the administration has said it will continue to support additional immigration. are facing increasing pressure from Democratic allies and supporters to include them in the TPS.
Democratic mayors, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, forced into The administration will dramatically expand TPS to ensure that immigrants arriving in the jurisdiction can work legally and not rely on city services that are struggling to accommodate new arrivals.
Many of the migrants who arrived in New York, Denver, Chicago, Washington and other large cities over the past year, including those bussed by Texas officials, are from Nicaragua and Venezuela. Asylum seekers may apply for a work permit but are not eligible to obtain one. 180 days After claiming asylum, waiting times are often long due to a large number of immigration delays.
The current TPS designations for Nicaragua and Venezuela apply only to immigrants from countries that arrived in the United States before January 1999 and March 2021, respectively. As of 2021, the Nicaraguan has 4,250 of her and the Venezuelan has 29,193 of her TPS. government data show. However, if these countries were redesignated, the hundreds of thousands of migrants who recently crossed the southern US border would be subject to TPS.
Nearly 259,000 Nicaraguans and 284,000 Venezuelans have been processed along the U.S.-Mexico border since the start of fiscal 2022, both hitting record highs, government says bottom. government figures. The move to expand TPS for these nationalities would also benefit Nicaraguans who have lived in the United States for many years without permanent legal status.
Both Nicaragua and Venezuela are ruled by repressive left-wing regimes and have faced mass exodus in recent years.is more than 7 million people They escaped the economic catastrophe and authoritarian rule of Venezuela and settled in other Latin American countries and the United States. hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have traveled to neighboring Costa Rica or the US-Mexico border.
A record number of Nicaraguans and Venezuelans illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last year, but after several policy changes, illegal entry by these immigrants has dropped significantly this year.
Biden administration starts in January started kicking out Immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who illegally crossed the southern border into Mexico, first under Section 42 of the Public Health Decree, now under regular U.S. immigration law. agreed to reclaim these nationalities. The administration combined its return policy with the following programs: Allow up to 30,000 immigrants If you have a US-based financial sponsor, you can legally travel to the US from these four countries each month.
In the days before authorities lifted pandemic-era Title 42 regulations on May 11, daily illegal crossings along the southern border surged to 10,000, a record high. then plummeted, overturned predictions that the end of Title 42 would cause a surge in border arrivals. In the first week of June, border guards averaged just over 3,000 migrants a day.
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Washington — President Biden’s senior immigration advisers have blocked nearly 400,000 people from having the opportunity to legally work and reside in the United States under a program known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to concerns over a potential surge in border crossings. three people familiar with the internal affairs said. The debate told CBS News.Earlier this year, officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formulated plans to expand the decades-old TPS program for immigrants from Nicaragua, citing worsening conditions in the Central American country. It was determined that the expansion was worth considering, said a person familiar with the matter. I wish to remain anonymous regarding internal deliberations. In recent years, a record number of Nicaraguans have fled poverty, most of them immigrating to the United States. government repression. According to internal government estimates, the proposal to expand or redesignate the TPS program for Nicaragua would make nearly 400,000 Nicaraguan immigrants in the United States eligible to apply for government work permits and deportation protection. become. The plan was reviewed at a high level internally and sent to the White House and other agencies for approval.
However, the government eventually canceled it without expanding TPS eligibility, at least for now, partly due to concerns by White House officials that the announcement of a generous immigration program would lead to a surge in immigration along the U.S. coastline. decided to The number of illegal immigrants at the Mexican border has plummeted since early May, officials said.Instead, the administration announced on Tuesday It would extend the TPS designations for Nicaragua and three other countries that the Trump administration had sought to end, allowing existing beneficiaries to renew their eligibility, but keeping the program closed to new applicants. become.
While the TPS does not benefit immigrants who have not yet arrived in the United States, some government officials have long believed that the expansion of the program would “attract” illegal immigrants, even if new arrivals were not eligible. I have expressed concern that it may function as a factor. for it. Nicaraguans visited the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers last year, but arrivals from Nicaragua have fallen recently. “We are seized with concerns that redesignation will become a magnet,” said one of the people involved.Immigration advocates and some Democratic lawmakers have cast doubt on the concerns of the pull factor, saying the dire situation in Nicaragua and other crisis-hit countries clearly deserves a TPS redesignation.Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez told CBS News, “The claim that TPS is a pull factor is completely false.” “Study after study has repeatedly shown that TPS designation does not correlate with irregular migration. It helps me stay home.”
Menendez said he was concerned that political concerns were influencing the administration’s decision-making on immigration.”Political considerations of simply ‘let’s be tough’, which the administration seems to adopt from where they were and follow Republican tenets, will never satisfy Republicans in Congress. But most importantly, The thing is, it wouldn’t really solve the problem,” he added.The White House declined to comment. A DHS representative did not respond to questions about TPS’s decision-making process.The administration has not authorized the extension of TPS eligibility to Nicaraguans, but officials may change course in the future. DHS said on Tuesday “We are closely monitoring the situation around the world to assess whether the new TPS designation is warranted.”In addition to deliberating on TPS eligibility for Nicaraguans, the administration is also debating whether to extend a similar program to Venezuelan immigrants. Some officials fear the expansion of the TPS against these countries could disrupt the low levels of immigration recorded along the southern border in recent weeks, but the administration has said it will continue to support additional immigration. are facing increasing pressure from Democratic allies and supporters to include them in the TPS. Democratic mayors, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, forced into The administration will dramatically expand TPS to ensure that immigrants arriving in the jurisdiction can work legally and not rely on city services that are struggling to accommodate new arrivals.
Many of the migrants who arrived in New York, Denver, Chicago, Washington and other large cities over the past year, including those bussed by Texas officials, are from Nicaragua and Venezuela. Asylum seekers may apply for a work permit but are not eligible to obtain one. 180 days After claiming asylum, waiting times are often long due to a large number of immigration delays.The current TPS designations for Nicaragua and Venezuela apply only to immigrants from countries that arrived in the United States before January 1999 and March 2021, respectively. As of 2021, the Nicaraguan has 4,250 of her and the Venezuelan has 29,193 of her TPS. government data show. However, if these countries were redesignated, the hundreds of thousands of migrants who recently crossed the southern US border would be subject to TPS.Nearly 259,000 Nicaraguans and 284,000 Venezuelans have been processed along the U.S.-Mexico border since the start of fiscal 2022, both hitting record highs, government says bottom. government figures. The move to expand TPS for these nationalities would also benefit Nicaraguans who have lived in the United States for many years without permanent legal status.Both Nicaragua and Venezuela are ruled by repressive left-wing regimes and have faced mass exodus in recent years.is more than 7 million people They escaped the economic catastrophe and authoritarian rule of Venezuela and settled in other Latin American countries and the United States. hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have traveled to neighboring Costa Rica or the US-Mexico border.A record number of Nicaraguans and Venezuelans illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last year, but after several policy changes, illegal entry by these immigrants has dropped significantly this year.Biden administration starts in January started kicking out Immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who illegally crossed the southern border into Mexico, first under Section 42 of the Public Health Decree, now under regular U.S. immigration law. agreed to reclaim these nationalities. The administration combined its return policy with the following programs: Allow up to 30,000 immigrants If you have a US-based financial sponsor, you can legally travel to the US from these four countries each month.In the days before authorities lifted pandemic-era Title 42 regulations on May 11, daily illegal crossings along the southern border surged to 10,000, a record high. then plummeted, overturned predictions that the end of Title 42 would cause a surge in border arrivals. In the first week of June, border guards averaged just over 3,000 migrants a day.
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Camilo Montoya Galvez
Camilo Montoya Galvez is an immigration reporter for CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/temporary-protected-status-nicaragua-biden-legal-status-migrants/ Biden Officials Refuse to Give Hundreds of Thousands of Immigrants Legal Status Amid Border Concerns