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As Venezuela sinks deeper into the crisis, Donald Trump's representatives to the White House have repeatedly expressed support for the country's people.
But such comments contrast with the meager aid the US government gives to Venezuelans seeking refuge in the United States.
According to United Nations estimates, 5.3 million Venezuelans will have fled by the end of 2019, but the Trump government has resisted calls – including those from Republicans – to set up immigration programs to allow a tiny part of them to seek protection in the United States.
Instead, his efforts were focused on lobbying for opposition leader Juan Guaidó to replace Nicolás Maduro and calls for "freedom" for Venezuelans facing chronic food shortages. and drugs in this country are collapsing.
The administration objected to the use of temporary protection status, a designation allowing persons of a certain nationality to remain in the United States because of extraordinary circumstances in their country. # 39; origin.
He also ignored his ability to give the population a special priority in his dwindling refugee system. Asylum seekers and the people who represent them have warned that Venezuelans were trapped in a cycle of late treatment or absolute refusal to deal with legitimate cases.
"The administration stands alongside Venezuelans seeking freedom – and forbids them from practicing in the United States," said Nazanin Ash, vice president of politics and advocacy for the International Rescue Committee ( IRC).
"What this administration has demonstrated time and time again in recent years is that crises and vulnerability … are not the factors that have displaced them," Ash said.
The simplest option of the US government is the GST, which can be unilaterally designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security. This would protect 72,000 Venezuelans currently in the United States, according to the IRC. The president may also use a similar program, delayed forced departure, to prevent people from being deported for a specified period of time.
Without GST or DED, Venezuelans can also apply for asylum if they fear being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social group. Poverty or the need for medication for a sick child would not exceed this threshold.
From February 2018 to January 2019, more than 25,000 Venezuelans sought asylum in the United States – more than in any other country, according to government records. This does not include Venezuelans who requested asylum during deportation hearings.
Unlike Central American crowds seeking asylum at the border, Venezuelan asylum applications mainly concern people who are already in the United States and have probably arrived with a legal visa.
Francisco Sandoval was professor and advocate of opponents to Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Sandoval said he also threw stones at the Chavistas at political rallies in the early 2000s, which he now regrets.
Aged 51, he fled Venezuela last year because he feared political persecution and his health after being away for three months without medication for a chronic health problem.
He has been a volunteer at the New York Legal Department, translating legal documents and assisting Venezuelans. But his asylum application remains in limbo, following an interview in December. And the tourist visa that he had used to travel to the United States has expired.
The Trump administration has described the asylum as an abusive program, with loopholes. Sandoval insists that this is his last resort.
"I never wanted to come here," Sandoval said. "I had a life there. I had a nice life there. I was someone. So, will I start again at this age?
He hopes Maduro's regime will be overthrown soon enough to return home. Meanwhile, he is in constant contact with his wife, daughter and 89-year-old mother via WhatsApp.
He can not talk about it without crying. His doctors in the United States told him that he needed treatment for depression, but he did not see any solution to his sadness if it was the reunion of his family or the family. back to a safer version of Venezuela. "Having my wife and daughter here would be a better treatment than any drug," Sandoval said.
Rebecca Press, an immigration lawyer from New York City who represented about 18 In the last 18 months, Venezuelans have said that many Venezuelans would not need GST because their asylum claims are very strong.
"I have many egregious examples of people shot dead, left for dead, repeated physical attacks over many years, homes destroyed during political opposition meetings, followed by physical abuse" , said the press.
Most cases were denied by an asylum officer, who was then referred to an immigration court, where it may be years before a case is heard because of a large backlog of cases. she said.
"From my point of view, it is shocking that this is a routine given the strength of the applications that have been referred to an immigration court," the press said. "It's disgusting."
It also reflects the gap between what the US government does and what it says.
Since he became president, Trump has tweeted 21 times about Venezuela – more than about the rest of South America combined. In February, Trump tweeted: "The Venezuelan people are defending liberties and democracy – and the United States of America stands by their side!"
The State Department said in an email that the United States was the largest donor to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, having spent more than $ 256 million since the end of 2016. "We focus on the transformation in Venezuela and the return of this country to the path of stability for the benefit of all Venezuelans. "
The White House has not responded to a request for comment.
Without immigration programs targeting Venezuelans, Sandoval and other people like him risk being deported at the end of their visa.
Special Envoy Elliott Abrams, who heads US diplomatic efforts in Venezuela, warned that such deportations would have a negative impact on the US government, according to e-mails seen by the Wall Street Journal. Abrams said: "We must absolutely avoid any non-criminal deportation while we solve the problem. To send family back to [Venezuela] now we would all laugh.
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