Florida Democrats call on Biden to expand protections for Venezuelans

Two of Florida’s most high-profile Democratic candidates on Thursday called on the Biden administration to expand immigration protections for Venezuelans in the United States.

Rep. Charlie Crist, who is leading in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, and state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a front-runner in the Democratic primary for a key South Florida House seat, pleaded with President Biden to renew and redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans.

“I’m proud of Florida for being home to so many in the vibrant Venezuelan community. And I was also proud when the Biden administration designated Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status in March of last year. It was the right thing to do then, and today we are here to insist that it is still the right thing to do now,” said Crist.

The administration is due on Monday to publish its intent to maintain current protections for about 240,000 Venezuelans enrolled in TPS or to extend the same protections to both existing TPS holders and about 250,000 more Venezuelans who are not covered under the current designation.

Biden last year designated Venezuela for TPS, citing living conditions in the country under the Maduro government. That allowed all Venezuelans in the U.S. at that time to remain in the country and work for at least 18 months.

Since that designation, a quarter million more Venezuelans have reached U.S. soil, most claiming asylum. Under TPS rules, only foreign nationals already in the country at the time of designation are allowed to apply for the program’s benefits.

The Biden administration on Monday is all but certain to extend the current designation, but advocates for the Venezuelan diaspora are clamoring for redesignation, which would protect all Venezuelans currently in the United States.

“We’re counting on this White House to act with courage, just as you did before. Let’s extend and redesignate. The stakes are too high not to act,” said Crist.

The issue holds particular political weight in Florida, both because the state houses the most Venezuelan nationals of any U.S. state and because Democrats like Crist and Taddeo are contrasting Biden’s action on the matter with former President Trump’s inaction.

While Trump was vocally critical of Venezuela’s de fact president, Nicolás Maduro — at one point even hinting at military action — he never designated Venezuela for TPS, despite demands from anti-Maduro Venezuelans in Florida.

Florida Republicans have come out in support of maintaining Biden’s TPS designation, but Taddeo said that support rings hollow as the state has implemented legislation targeting immigrants.

“I could go on and on on the many [GOP] policies that are extremely anti-immigrant, so I find it just rich that they would be pro-TPS, which again, it is President Biden who kept his promise,” Taddeo said.

If they win their primaries as expected, both Crist and Taddeo will face popular incumbents in a difficult election year for Democrats, amid growing Republican control over Florida politics.

Taddeo is challenging GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar in a district that was recently seen as a growing Democratic stronghold but flipped red in 2020.

Taddeo last month dropped out of the gubernatorial primary, clearing the way for Crist, a former GOP governor and third-term Democratic representative.

Crist is challenging GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of the founders of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and a growing star in the Republican Party with clear presidential aspirations.

Still, Crist and Taddeo said a TPS redesignation would help them draw a contrast between Democrats and the state’s Republicans.

The Democrats cried foul on Republicans who’ve held the mantle of opposition to socialism and authoritarianism in Latin America while espousing immigration policies that could get people deported back to countries like Venezuela.

Crist said DeSantis’s immigration policies could come back to haunt the governor in November.

“A state like Florida that is as diverse as she is, with so many immigrants currently residing in the Sunshine State, I believe there’ll be a backlash against his wrongheaded approach to dealing with people around the globe who desire to come to a land called America, the shining city on the hill,” said Crist.

And Taddeo, foreshadowing a line of attack against DeSantis, targeted the governor’s presidential ambitions.

“I think the reason why you’re seeing him pass these laws and say these things is because he’s more interested in voters in Iowa and New Hampshire and his goals there than actually in the wellbeing of Floridians,” said Taddeo.

“It’s too bad, and it’s sad that he’s more worried about New Hampshire and Iowa than about Florida,” she added.