A majority of migrants bused to Chicago over the past year are Venezuelans, including at least 59% of the 8,360 people in city shelters. Nationally, they are also now the largest group of illegal border crossers.
They seek asylum here by lying, according to Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza, who served as Consul General of Venezuela in Chicago from 2008 to 2017.
In an In These Times column interview last week, he said this:
When they request asylum in the United States, migrants have to say something against their government. But everyone in the Venezuelan community knows that it’s a lie. Venezuelan comedians in Florida, like George Harris, joke about the Venezuelans lying to the migration people just in order to receive asylum.
They lie that way because to be granted asylum, migrants must be able to demonstrate that they are in danger of persecution in their country due to their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.
The context of Rodriguez-Espinoza’s comment about the lying is his claim that Venezuelans leave their country because of the economic impact of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.
But saying, “I’m trying to escape the consequences of U.S. sanctions” doesn’t work for asylum purposes.
For Venezuelans, the Biden Administration also recently announced it will speed up work authorizations and extend for 18 months the temporary protected status for Venezuelans who were in the U.S. on or before July 31. That’s for Venezuelans only.
Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and others called for that action, saying it is especially needed in Chicago, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times and others.
Have compassion for migrants, wherever they are. Many are desperate. But our farcical border policy must end.
-Mark Glennon
Earlier Wirepoints columns on migrants:
- National Suicide In Plain View: Open Border and Sanctuary Policies Continue Unabated
- As request for federal bailout pends, does anybody have a clue how much migrants arriving in Chicago are costing taxpayers? – Wirepoints
- Posturing and double-talk on Illinois’ new authorization for undocumented immigrants to become police
- New Report Exposes Growing, Billion Dollar Budget Fiasco In Illinois’ Free Medicaid Program For Undocumented Immigrants
- Migrant crisis is apocalypse now – and worsening – but Illinois leadership ignores the only solution
- Illegal Immigration Becomes Yet Another Calamity For Chicago, With Worse To Come
- ‘America’s most immigrant-friendly city’ or Martha’s Vineyard? Chicago looks to send migrants to Central Illinois
- Pritzker’s New Emergency Disaster Proclamation For Immigrants: Compassion Or Peak Hypocrisy?
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Time to talk about the Hezbollah camps and other Islamic terrorist groups operating in tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Good place to start is US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs web-site: “Terrorist and Organized Crime Groups in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of South America”. Feds acknowledge that open-border crossers include people with known terrorist affiliations. What’s not said is that Hezbollah operates terrorist cell camps in both Mexico and TBA in South America. Those migrants who outwardly appear to be “Hispanic”, have Central American or South American nationality paperwork, may have more complicated political affiliations and… Read more »
The former Counsul General of Venezuela in Chicago really needs to tell us something we don’t already know. Of course illegals from Venezuela lie. They will do and say whatever it takes to get into this country. Duh! God help all of us who have to deal with these deliberate, conniving liars.
Well now since Biden is lifting the Venezuelan sanctions Rodriguez-Espinoza’s comments regarding sanctions causing immigration will mean the immigration will stop…uhh won’t it Mr. Rodriguez-Espinoza?
WOW!!, this just keeps getting nuttier and nuttier—- the In These Times piece is written by Ill State Rep Lilian Jimenez, “head of the Illinois Welcoming Centers and State Refugee Coordinator.” (https://inthesetimes.com/authors/lilian-jimenez) “Illinois State Rep. Lilian Jiménez (D-4th) is an attorney who has focused her work on labor and immigration policy and advocacy. She is a former Chief of Staff for Jesús Chuy Garcia at the Cook County Board of Commissioners and previously served as the Director of the Fair Labors Standards Division of the Illinois Department of Labor. Most recently Jiménez served as the administrator for the Office of Welcoming… Read more »
In These Times is a socialist site.
Did JB appoint socialist Jimenez, “head of the Illinois Welcoming Centers and State Refugee Coordinator.”? Or how did she get that position?
By being a top tier Stalinist
Other points I’m very confused on— is Biden granting asylum to Venezuelans only? or only for Venezuelans who arrived before July 31? And then, on what legal basis is city of Chicago providing shelter or rental assistance to migrants or asylum seekers vrs all the other 100s of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Chicago area? What is legal definition between migrants, TPS immigrants, undocumented immigrants or asylum seeker?…one again, it seems there’s no legal ground rules for WHO city is providing services to in the JB/Brandon migrant train-wreak s-show. Today’s very confusing Trib article is stating Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust… Read more »
You should be confused. It’s a total mess. One thing clear is that asylum is open to migrants other than Venezuelans; only the changes stated in the article are for Venezuelans only.
Wow, In These Times refuting the asylum claims because it implies Venezuelans are suffering under a communist state, thereby risking the passage of every Venezuelan at the border. I’m hard pressed to think of a more inhumane reasoning. Just off the charts deplorable.
That these tankies will gladly throw desperate brown people under the bus to defend their failed political beliefs tells you all you need to know about Communism.
Noticed that quite a few on CWBs blotter had the Venezuela connection. Gee JP and Brandon, among others, if socialism is so great, why are we getting a heavy influx from such a socialist Utopia as Venezuela?
In addition to praying for the migrants, also pray that our politicians meet their stewardship responsibilities by closing the border and implementing a more rigorous entry process. They are endangering all our citizens by not doing so.