Chamber of Commerce, Soros-Funded Groups Bankroll ‘Temporary’ Amnesty for Venezuela’s Population

Venezuelan citizens wait in line to get a refugee application at a Peruvian border post at
CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images
John Binder

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and organizations funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros are bankrolling a plan to provide temporary amnesty to Venezuela’s population.

Last week, the Democrat-controlled House passed a measure to create a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Venezuela’s population — allowing nationals who are already in the U.S. to remain and incentivizing more to migrate. Thirty-nine House Republicans joined every Democrat to support the legislation, including:

  • Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE)
  • Rep. Michael Bost (R-IL)
  • Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK)
  • Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
  • Rep. John Curtis (R-UT)
  • Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
  • Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI)
  • Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
  • Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
  • Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
  • Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH)
  • Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA)
  • Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
  • Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
  • Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA)
  • Rep. French Hill (R-AR)
  • Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX)
  • Rep. David Joyce (R-OH)
  • Rep. John Katko (R-NY)
  • Rep. Peter King (R-NY)
  • Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
  • Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL)
  • Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX)
  • Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY)
  • Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA)
  • Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL)
  • Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA)
  • Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL)
  • Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
  • Rep. Ross Spano (R-FL)
  • Rep. Elise Stefancik (R-NY)
  • Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI)
  • Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH)
  • Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
  • Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL)
  • Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR)
  • Rep. Rod Woodall (R-GA)
  • Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL)
  • Rep. Don Young (R-AK)

The Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest big business group, and Soros-funded organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Amnesty International USA, Inc. were the primary lobbyists pushing House Republicans to join Democrats in creating TPS for Venezuelans.

Lobbying records chronicled by OpenSecrets.org reveal that seven lobbyists for Amnesty International USA, 12 lobbyists for the ACLU, and nearly 30 lobbyists for the Chamber of Commerce pushed members of Congress to support TPS for Venezuela’s population.

Already, the Chamber of Commerce has deployed more than 40 lobbyists to push GOP Senators to vote with Senate Democrats in supporting the Senate version of the TPS for Venezuela’s population legislation.

TPS has become a quasi-amnesty for otherwise illegal aliens created under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 (INA) that prevents the deportation of foreign nationals from countries that have suffered through famine, war, or natural disasters. Since the Clinton administration, TPS has been transformed into a de facto amnesty program as the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations have continuously renewed the program for a variety of countries.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.

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