US cities have been grappling with large numbers of Venezuelans fleeing economic and political turmoil.

Venezuelans seeking asylum in the US who are already living in the country will be allowed to work legally under new rules announced by the Biden administration.

About 472,000 people will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months.

It follows calls by Democrats to expand work access for newly-arrived migrants.

US cities have been grappling with large numbers fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela.

People must have been living in the US on or before 31 July to be eligible for temporary deportation relief and access to work permits under TPS. If granted, they will be allowed to work while they wait for an asylum determination to be made.

  • Throwaway
    214·
    1 year ago

    To be offered legal status, they would have to be illegal first.

    • GBU_28English
      121·
      1 year ago

      False.

      Consider: I fly to a country as an intended tourist.

      I approach the customs official and say “I’d like to enter as a tourist”

      They look at my paperwork, and approve my visa. I’m now legal. Prior to that I wasn’t illegal, I just wasn’t in yet

      • Throwaway
        215·
        1 year ago

        Okay, sure, but they were already in the country.

          • Throwaway
            413·
            1 year ago

            so racist and xenophobic

            I know what you are, but what am I?

            Just because someone is undocumented doesn’t make them illegal.

            Literally the definition of undocumented immigrant is illegal immigrant. Its an euphemism, that only exists for propaganda purposes.

            • gregorumEnglish
              92·
              1 year ago

              Childish arguments and redefining phrases just to rationalize your own racism and xenophobia clearly isn’t working here because we are not racist xenophobes who are gonna let you get away with that kind of shenanigans

              Give it up.

    • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
      9·
      1 year ago

      These people aren’t “illegals” nor are they “undocumented”. They are Asylum Seekers which means that they’ve filled out paperwork and are awaiting a decision on their case. This program, TPS, doesn’t make them “legal”, as in grant them a Green Card or Citizenship, it just allows them to WORK legally while they are awaiting the outcome of their Asylum Case.

      To put it in Conservative language; do you want these people to continue living off the State or would you prefer that they find a job and start paying taxes?