Failure to Pass the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 is Another Notch in the Belt of GOP Cruelty
In a House vote yesterday, Republicans failed to act on their promises and affirm the need for designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela, thereby failing to protect Venezuelans and thousands of American families. The Democrats unanimously supported H.R. 549, the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019, but only 37 Republicans joined them causing the measure to fail.
According to Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice: “This is a sad moment that has domestic and foreign policy implications. Reps. Darren Soto and Mario Diaz-Balart worked together across the aisle in a bipartisan effort to protect families and save thousands of lives by protecting Venezuelans here in the U.S. from deportation back to a country that is no shape or form able to absorb their own citizens.”
“Despite feeble promises to protect Venezuelan immigrants from a ruthless dictatorship in a country plagued with starvation and violence, Republicans failed to follow through. Of course they didn’t act – because this is not about saving lives to them. For Republicans, this is about party politics and refusing to support any form of relief for immigrants. The actions by House Republicans to deny TPS to Venezuelans and this administration’s termination of TPS for Nepal, El Salvador, Haiti, Sudan, Honduras, and Nicaragua are examples of how far the Republican Party and President Trump are willing to go to act tough on immigrants, even if it means endangering lives. Republicans are not worried about standing up to protect people. Republicans are merely interested in following their ringleader in the White House.”
