[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       VENEZUELA TPS ACT OF 2019

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 549, 
``The Venezuela TPS Act of 2019.''
  The bill would designate Venezuela for temporary protected status 
(TPS), allowing certain Venezuelan nationals to stay in the U.S., 
regardless of their current immigration status.
  The Secretary of Homeland Security grants TPS to certain individuals 
who cannot safely return to their home countries due to ongoing armed 
conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary 
circumstances.
  While the total number of individuals, who would be eligible for TPS 
under this bill, is unclear, about 72,000 Venezuelans have come to the 
U.S. since 2014.
  The Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 would:
  Designate Venezuela for TPS, allowing its nationals to remain in the 
U.S. for 18 months, regardless of their immigration status if they:
  Have been continuously physically present in the United States since 
the date of the enactment of the bill; and
  Meet all other requirements for TPS.
  Provide Venezuelan nationals who meet the above requirements with:
  Employment authorization; and
  Authorization to travel outside the U.S. for emergencies and 
extenuating circumstances.
  Direct the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security to work with 
international partners to increase capacity of countries surrounding 
Venezuela to provide migration services and asylum, specifically to 
establish and expand in-country reception centers and shelters and 
improve migration and asylum registration systems.
  Congress should designate Venezuela for TPS because:
  The country has been facing unprecedented economic, humanitarian, 
security, and refugee crisis, consisting of extreme food and medicine 
shortages, severe infant and child malnutrition, rampant crime, and 
government-sponsored repression.
  Venezuela ranks as the most dangerous country in the world.
  In 2017, the country's homicide rate stood at 89 per 100,000 people 
which compares to 5.3 per 100,000 people in the United States.
  TPS holders contribute to the U.S. economy.
  For example, TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti 
contribute $4.5 billion in income to the gross domestic product 
annually and $6.9 billion to Social Security and Medicare over a 
decade.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 549 
to allow certain Venezuelan nationals to stay in the U.S., regardless 
of their current immigration status.

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