The United States is working to help end Venezuela’s suffering under socialism.
Earlier this month, President Trump imposed an embargo on Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro’s socialist regime, and last month the House of Representatives voted to grant Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans in the U.S. Most of those voting in favor of TPS were Democrats, and unfortunately, most Republicans opposed the measure.
The GOP is looking at this issue all wrong. Of course, it’s true that Democrats are pushing for TPS to gain popularity with Venezuelan Americans frightened by their increasingly socialist rhetoric. But, for Republicans, supporting TPS for Venezuelans is really a chance to fight against the socialist movement.
Right now, Venezuela is going through one of the worst economic crises in modern world history. The average person is malnourished, and the poorest are forced to choose between walking thousands of miles to Colombia or staying in their home country and starving.
The radical Left would have you to believe this tragic situation was caused by international sanctions or oil prices. Of course, that’s a lie.
My home country’s crisis was caused by socialism: There’s no doubt about it. The socialist regime nationalized industries and imposed price controls, forced through countless increases in the minimum wage, implemented massive welfare programs, and ran up bloated government deficits. As a result, over 4 million Venezuelans like me have fled the country, and the exodus keeps growing.
TPS would allow Venezuelans who already live in the U.S. to stay and work for a limited period, protecting them from being deported back to a nation devastated by a socialist dictator they didn’t elect. In 2017, over 400,000 Venezuelans lived in the United States, and today that number is likely much higher. Since approximately half of Venezuelans living here are U.S. citizens already, granting TPS would help about 200,000.
Most of these people are legal immigrants afraid their immigration status will expire, forcing them to go back and face persecution, murder, or starvation. Keeping them from such a terrible fate is something President Trump, and all Americans, can surely get behind.
And ultimately, granting TPS to Venezuelans would be a boon to capitalism in America. Like Cubans and citizens of the former Soviet Union, many Venezuelans recognize that socialism causes devastation — that the free market is what makes America great. If Republicans would support TPS, these people would be able to stay and continue sharing their powerful stories, furthering the message that socialism is not the fairytale dream some Democrats paint it to be.
Indeed, as Democratic presidential contenders seek to outpace each other in the race for the most socialist platform, even Venezuelans who might once have pulled the lever for them are probably less and less likely to do so. And leftist Venezuelans aren’t the majority. In fact, President Trump has a rather powerful constituency ready-made: Over half of Venezuelans support him.
Republican opposition to TPS stems from fears it would create “a tsunami of people coming to our country who are ill-equipped to support themselves.” At least, that’s what Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, claimed before voting against a procedural motion to fast-track the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019. But this isn’t a valid concern: TPS would only benefit Venezuelans already living in America, not those who might come later.
And Venezuelans are not “ill-equipped” to support themselves, as Brooks claimed. Over half of us have a college degree. Only about 5% haven’t finished high school. Compare that to the 32% of Americans with a college degree or 12% who haven’t finished high school, and it seems a strange critique to say Venezuelans are ill-equipped.
Some also fear that the Venezuelan TPS program would become indefinitely extended, since courts have stopped the administration from terminating the program for other nations. But court battles regarding TPS designations for other nations shouldn’t stop President Trump from joining with Congress to advance the fight against socialism by helping Venezuelans. There are only great things to be gained by stopping socialism at home while advancing U.S. interests abroad.
Daniel Di Martino (@DanielDiMartino) is a Venezuelan expatriate living in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Young Voices contributor.
