Fears are Growing for Employers of Venezuelan Immigrants
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling to agree to the Trump administration’s decision of revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants, quite a few American businesses are now in the face of the darkness of uncertainty. The businesses in areas where there are a lot of Venezuelans are rushing to cover the short term impact, however, the long term effect on the economy hasn’t well been understood.
Legal Protection Comes to a Halt as Venezuelan Workers Stand the Risk of Deportation
The ruling has left hundreds if not thousands of Venezuelan workers in an undefined state, waiting to see the outcome of status determination process. The TPS originally gave these workers the right to lead a life in the US, given that their homeland faced perilous situations. However, the legal protection might cease and the companies in the US that heavily depend on Venezuelan workers, especially in the areas such as hospitality, retailing, and construction will be left to find their way in this difficult situation.
Many entrepreneurs in the parts of the United States with a significant number of Venezuelan people, for instance, Florida, are the ones who are extremely affected. They are the ones that need Venezuelans to work for them so that their businesses can be stable and grow. A restaurateur like Wilmer Escaray is one of such businessmen who are affected and he is not sure of the next course of action for his employees.
Whether This Is a Good or a Bad Change for the US Economy and Small Businesses
The implications of such an opinion in economics can be abundant. TPS holders are injecting the U.S. economy with multiple billion dollars through their job and consumer spending. Company owners are concerned because losing this group of workers could make the labor shortage in the industries where the situation is already exhausted become even more critical. Moreover, the workers, who by this point have become part and parcel of their local communities, make it very difficult for the employers, in one way, to find the substitutes.
Firstly, there is the problem of not having a skilled workforce immediately, without a doubt, and the employers are not confident about following the changes in the immigration rules. Some of the organizations are currently surfing the web of visa multiplying to keep their labor, while the absence of any concrete information about the government’s next move simply ties their hands and gives them a nil chance of taking any action.
Undecided Future for Immigrants from Venezuela and Their Relatives
The ruling affects countless Venezuelan laborers adversely as it creates an atmosphere of the unknown such as doubt, worry, and dread. To be fair, the given situation is one that is completely lacking in information, and under those circumstances, the person who goes to work is the only individual who is left with no option, he or she cannot even think of quitting. A few of the laborers are even attempting to escape from the current legal channel method and asylum/ investment visas have been the other avenues these people have followed. However, it is not easy for all to accept these new alternatives, especially those without any financial means.
For those who are with their families and who have lived in the U.S., the situation now is more as a glass half empty rather than half full and it is very hard to believe they will survive the experience of going back to Venezuela, given the trials they experienced when they run away from the country.
What Are the Next Steps for Employers and Workers?
With TPS and what’s going to happen tomorrow is still ongoing, employers and talents are simply puzzled and in need of solid guarantees. Besides celebrating the victory of the Supreme Court last year, we should emphasize that too much is not clear about the course of the policy change process. The immediate steps that the government will to take are going to be some of the factors that the Venezuelan immigrants and the dependent firms are counting on.
At the moment the entrepreneurs are not sure whether they will be in a position to resume normal operation or will they have to wait still for all the necessary guidelines from the government. This week, Venezuelans have been on a roller coaster of emotions as they wait to see the outcome of their legal status in the United States.
