South Florida's three Republican lawmakers said Wednesday they are seeking a meeting with a top Trump administration official to find a "permanent solution" to allow Venezuelan immigrants with "legitimate claims of persecution" to remain in the U.S.
"We believe that a case-by-case review is warranted for individuals with legitimate claims of persecution," said U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos A. Giménez and María Elvira Salazar, all of whom are from Miami, in a joint statement. .
The meeting sought by the GOP lawmakers comes only days after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration — at their request — to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to deportation.
The court's order, with only one noted dissent, put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that kept in place Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Venezuelans that would have otherwise expired last month.
The status allows people already in the United States to live and work legally because their native countries are deemed unsafe for return due to natural disaster or civil strife.
The high court announcement has major implications in South Florida, home to the nation's largest Venezuelan immigrant community. Many left their home country during the past two decades to escape the authoritarian regimes of presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
READ MORE: In Florida, Venezuelans worry about the potential loss of temporary protected status
In their statement, Díaz-Balart, Giménez and Salazar, said "many cannot return to Venezuela because they will be politically persecuted." They are seeking a meeting with Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem
The lawmakers face a steep political challenge in swaying President Donald Trump and his administration to reconsider keeping TPS in place for Venezuelans.
In addition to wanting to end the temporary immigration program, Trump has pushed to swiftly deport alleged Venezuelan "Tren de Aragua" gang members without a court review. The U.S. sent more than 200 Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador under an 18th-century wartime law, an action being contested in the courts.
In their statement, the lawmakers praised Trump and his administration with securing the U.S.-Mexico border, while bashing the previous Biden administration with allowing "open borders."
"Unfortunately, decent, hardworking Venezuelans who have integrated into our South Florida communities and contributed to the economic prosperity of our great country are paying the price for President Biden's negligence and false promises when he opened up the southern border to millions," the Miami lawmakers said.
But in pressing for a case-by-case review of Venezuelans TPS holders, they argue of "a clear distinction" between reported Tren de Aragua gang members and "those Venezuelans fleeing Maduro's repressive dictatorship."
"We are actively working on securing a meeting with [Noem] to ensure our concerns are addressed and that the voices of those affected are heard," said the lawmakers. "We will continue making our case for Venezuelans with legitimate claims of persecution and working with the Trump administration on a permanent solution."
