From Politico:
10/13/2022 02:24 PM EDT
When nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants were left stranded in Martha’s Vineyard last month after Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis flew them to the island from Texas, they had no employment, housing or clear pathway to citizenship.
But this week, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the San Antonio area and previously opened an investigation into the flights, agreed to certify that the migrants had sufficiently cooperated with its investigation and are now eligible to apply for “U” visas, a kind of immigration status for victims of certain crimes that occur on U.S. soil.
The visas require that a law enforcement officer sign the application before it can be sent to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Rachel Self, a Martha’s Vineyard-based attorney who has been coordinating the migrants’ immigration cases, said Wednesday that she flew to San Antonio to obtain the required signatures from the sheriff’s office.
“I now hold in my hand certifications for every one of Perla’s victims,” Self wrote in a statement, referring to Perla Huerta, the woman believed to be responsible for recruiting migrants in San Antonio on behalf of DeSantis.
. . . .
The U visa process, however, won’t be easy or quick, either. According to Department of Homeland Security data, more than 285,000 U visa petitions are pending as of fiscal year 2021, and Congress has capped the visas at 10,000 per year. Once the visas are approved, the migrants must wait three years to apply for a green card and five more years for citizenship.
But once the Venezuelans submit their applications, they will likely be allowed to work and protected from deportation. Last year, the federal appellate court that covers Massachusetts ruled that a Honduran man could not be removed from the country while his U visa application was pending.
“Ironically by choosing to transport the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard […], all of these victims are now protected from removal while their U visa application is pending due to the Granados Benitez case,” Self wrote in her statement. “These certifications will ensure that the migrants can continue to help our law enforcement officials, and that they will be able to process and heal from the incredibly traumatic experiences they have suffered as a result of the cruel, heartless acts committed against them.”
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Read the complete article at the link.
Still lots of uncertainties. But, at least they have a shot, including access to competent lawyers. That’s more than one can say about future Venezuelan refugees who will be improperly returned to potentially deadly conditions in Mexico under Biden’s version of “Stephen Miller’s closed border fiasco.” See, e.g., https://immigrationcourtside.com/2022/10/12/%e2%98%a0%ef%b8%8f%f0%9f%a4%ae-biden-betrays-asylum-seekers-scofflaw-miller-lite-policy-will-use-bogus-legal-rationale-to-return-venezuelan-refuge/
🇺🇸Due Process Forever!
PWS
10-15-22