Unanimous Consent Request--H.R. 549

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I am going to make a unanimous consent request in a moment, but I would like to preface it by saying what it is about so that as we explain it after the unanimous consent request is objected to, it will be clearer.

In the nation of Venezuela, there exists today an incredible political situation. I have been there to see it. There is a dictator in charge, and life on the street is deadly--so deadly that millions of Venezuelans are fleeing the country as fast as possible.

There is a limitation on food and medicine. There is so much suffering and starvation and deprivation that these people have given up everything, and they are just leaving. The United States knows that this is under the leader, Maduro. It reached a point where it is physically dangerous--so much so that we have a warning to American travelers not to go to Venezuela, to stay away because it is too dangerous.

Yet thousands of Venezuelans now in the United States are facing the threat of being forced return to this deadly, dangerous situation. The same State Department that warns Americans not to travel to Venezuela is now trying to force those Venezuelans who are here as students and others to go back to this deadly situation.

Senator Menendez and I and others think it just makes sense for us to give these people a shelter until it is safe for them to return to their home. That is what this request is about.

549 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the bill be considered read a third time passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I know the Senator from South Dakota is making the objection on behalf of Senator Lee, and I have been called to do the same thing from time to time. I won't assign any political blame to him, but I will say this is a serious mistake and deadly mistake for these Venezuelans.

This is an issue which in many parts of America is red hot. Those of Venezuelan ancestry or those who are here in a temporary status cannot understand what just happened. They want to stay here safely. They don't want to be forced to return to this nation that is such a dangerous place under this dictator.

A number of times in the last year, Senator Menendez, who is on the floor with me here, has joined with me on behalf of the Venezuelan people. President Trump boasts that he supports these people.

The idea is simple: While the country remains a dictatorial nightmare, grant Venezuelans in the United States temporary protected status or TPS. It is the kind of commonsense move a self-confident nation and one that really cares about humanity would do to demonstrate real leadership and accept.

TPS is a temporary immigration status provided to foreign nationals if returning to their country poses a serious threat to their safety for any variety of reasons--natural disaster, environmental disaster, extraordinary conditions, armed conflicts. Certainly by every objective measure, the situation in Venezuela today is deadly and dangerous. It is not a permanent immigration status we are seeking for these Venezuelans, just a measure of American decency and solidarity with those who might be in the United States when a calamity occurs in their home country. Prior administrations of both political parties have granted it for people from countries facing these circumstances.

The situation in Venezuela is dire. Currently, the United States is working with regional partners to foster an end to the disastrous dictatorship clinging to power in Venezuela.

I was there before the sham 2018 election. What I saw was heartbreaking--people starving and fainting at work from malnutrition; hospitals without power or basic medicines. I visited a Catholic children's hospital in Caracas. They told me they didn't have the basics to treat these children. Antibiotics and cancer drugs were unavailable.

Millions were fleeing this country and still are, as refugees into neighboring countries. There is brutal political repression. If you disagree with Maduro publicly, be prepared to go to prison. There is staggering government corruption and dismantling of the government's democracy. Now, the tragic impacts of coronavirus have made the situation worse as well.

I supported this administration's efforts to work with other nations to support the interim Presidency of Juan Guaido. I had a chance to speak with President Guaido on the phone yesterday. I am deeply moved by his courage and concern for the Venezuelan people amid the suffering. Think about what he is up against. Here is a man who at any moment could face imprisonment or worse.

It is remarkable that more than 2 years after an internationally discredited Presidential election, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro is now planning another illegitimate election instead of finally holding a fair, credible Presidential contest.

I asked President Guaido: Are there going to be any international observers of this international election coming up this December?

Oh, yes.

I said: Who?

He said: The Russians.

I said: What a coincidence. They are observing our election too.

Venezuela has tragically fallen from President Trump's attention. One simple step he could take is grant TPS to Venezuelans here in the United States. He repeatedly refuses. There are travel warnings to Americans telling people not to go close to Venezuela, but for the Venezuelans here on visa or TPS status: You have to go home. The President has refused, I suspect, because the depth of his anti- immigrant cruelty really has no limits.

Despite the chest-thumping to audiences in Florida about taking on Venezuelan dictators, President Trump has, in fact, turned his back on the Venezuelans in the United States who truly need his protection. Nobody should be surprised, as former National Security Advisor John Bolton wrote in his book, that the President praised Maduro as ``smart'' and ``tough'' and waffled on any kind of coherent policy in the region and told Bolton not to get too deeply involved. President Trump can't have it both ways.

I have met many Venezuelans in my home State of Illinois. I can tell you that they are desperately worried about being forced to return to the chaos, violence, and hopelessness of the current Venezuela

The Trump administration's travel advisory says it all:

Do not travel due to COVID-19, crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens . . . . Violent crime, such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking, is common.

Yet the Republicans come to the floor and object to our efforts to protect the Venezuelans who are doing their best to avoid what I just read as a warning to American travelers.

Just today, U.N. investigators released findings saying that under Maduro, Venezuela has ``committed egregious violations'' amounting to crimes against humanity. How can this President and the State Department possibly force people to return to Venezuela under these conditions? And now, with Maduro detaining returning refugees and calling them ``bioterrorists,'' the idea of going back is even more dangerous.

Since the White House wouldn't act more than a year ago, the House, under Democratic control, passed a bipartisan bill granting TPS to Venezuelans by a margin of 272 to 158. Senator Menendez, Senator Rubio, and I introduced a similar Senate bill, but the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, still refuses to bring up any bill that just might not please President Trump--even ones that supposedly he is publicly supporting.

Senator Menendez and I have tried to call up the House bill for passage, only to face objections, just as we did today, from Senate Republicans who refuse to stand up to this President's failure on this and so many other foreign policies.

When we brought this up last July, Senate Republicans objected because they said they wanted to debate it in the Judiciary Committee. Well, 12 months passed with plenty of opportunities. Our Venezuelan TPS bill was referred to the committee in February of 2019. Yet there has been no action, no hearing, no markup. The Immigration Subcommittee is not overloaded with work. Under Chairman Cornyn, we have had exactly one subcommittee meeting in the past 1\1/2\ years. It hasn't held a single hearing this year, and the Senate Judiciary Committee hasn't considered a single immigration bill.

This administration could grant TPS without congressional action, but it refuses. Senate Republicans could pass the bipartisan House bill to grant Venezuelans TPS, but they refuse as well. Let it be clear that the real failure to help Venezuelans in the United States rests on their shoulders--the President and the Republican majority in the Senate.

The Venezuelan policy, like so many others with this administration and the Senate, is only there to serve President Trump and no one else.

I made my offer in the hope that we could bring this matter to the floor. I am sorry it met an objection. I thank my colleagues for joining me on this effort.

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