During a press call today, US Representatives Donna Shalala, Ted Deutch, Darren Soto and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell released the following statements urging the Trump administration to stop the deportations of Venezuelans, and grant those seeking asylum from the Maduro regime Temporary Protection Status.

The members also shared different proposals they have been working on to bring solutions the Venezuelan crisis, including granting TPS to Venezuelans, increasing the humanitarian aid to Venezuela, banning gun sales to the Maduro regime and pushing to monitor Russian Influence in Venezuela.

U.S. Representative Donna Shalala:

“The State of Florida is now the home of thousands of Venezuelans, many of them facing deportation to a country that is falling apart. It is very important that a Temporary Protection Status be extended to them, I have challenged President Trump not to come to Florida without announcing the extension of TPS. It is very important that we protect Venezuelans in our community.”

U.S. Representative Ted Deutch:

“We need a strong response to the corrupt Maduro regime, but while the administration is talking about Maduro, it does not seem to give Venezuelans a chance for safety and freedom in our country. The Trump administration seems to picking choose which autocrats and which repressive regimes are OK enough for them, but this is an opportunity for the United States to stand for human rights and democracy, and we do that not just by encouraging Venezuelans get a free and fair election process, which is imperative, but by also providing safe refuge to those who fled.”

U.S. Representative Darren Soto:

“Hundreds of Venezuelans are still being deported and while we have President Trump coming to Miami, his administration is in the other hand deporting hundreds of Venezuelans a year. We call upon President Trump to stop the deportation of Venezuelan refugees, and provide either choose support for the TPS bill that we I have filed along my colleagues, or move quickly by just granting Temporary Protection Status to Venezuelans in the US.”

U.S. Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell:

“We have heard the Trump administration sent a strong message that Maduro’s regime is illegitimate, which all of us as Democrats have also stated, also recognizing Juan guaido as Interim President. We have asked President Trump to grant TPS to Venezuelans, and he has the power to do it immediately. It is logical that the Trump administration stops deporting Venezuelans back to Venezuela, where 90% of the population is living in poverty. I am also concerned about this administration using Venezuelans’ suffering to score political points here in Florida. We need to urge Republicans and Democrats to increase the humanitarian aid to Venezuela, and I have filed a bill that would provide $150 million in humanitarian aid sent to Venezuela.”