U.S. to Begin Deporting Venezuelans in Effort to Cut Down Border Numbers

The fact that the decision to deport Venezuelans came so soon after the move to allow those already in the United States to live and work legally for 18 months illustrates the predicament President Biden faces on immigration — the pressure to reduce the number of illegal crossings at the southern border versus the pressure from members of his own party who say they are overwhelmed with the number of migrants in their cities.

The mayors of Chicago and New York have said they do not have the resources to provide shelter and other assistance to the thousands of people in need. New York Democrats had argued that the city’s social safety net would tear under the weight of more than 110,000 recently arrived migrants unless they were allowed to work and support themselves more quickly.

Previously, the Biden administration had said it could not deport Venezuelans because of the absence of diplomatic relations with Caracas. The statement on Thursday said the Venezuelan authorities had decided to accept the return of their nationals.

Deportations could discourage migrants from trying to enter the United States illegally but it still not operationally possible to deport every Venezuelan who crosses in between ports of entry.

“Today’s announcement makes clear that we are committed to strictly enforcing immigration laws and quickly removing individuals who do not avail themselves of these orderly processes and choose to cross our border unlawfully,” the Homeland Security Department said in a statement on Thursday.