I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 549 
To designate Venezuela under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act to permit nationals of Venezuela to be eligible for temporary pro-
tected status under such section, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 15, 2019 
Mr. SOTO (for himself and Mr. DIAZ-BALART) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To designate Venezuela under section 244 of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act to permit nationals of Venezuela 
to be eligible for temporary protected status under such 
section, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Venezuela TPS Act 
of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) Venezuela is enduring an unprecedented 
economic, humanitarian, security, and refugee crisis, 
consisting of extreme food and medicine shortages, 
severe infant and child malnutrition, rampant crime, 
and government-sponsored repression. 
(2) 
Venezuela’s 
economic 
crisis 
continues 
unabated and the International Monetary Fund 
projects that inflation in Venezuela could reach an 
annual rate of 10,000,000 percent in 2019. 
(3) In 2017, the Office of the High Commis-
sioner for Human Rights reported the deaths of 124 
persons that could be attributed to violations of the 
right to freedom of peaceful assembly. 
(4) From September 2017 through April 2018, 
a review of pharmacies in five major cities shows a 
shortage of nearly 85 percent of medicine essential 
to treat four of the most recurrent causes of mor-
bidity in the country, diarrhea, respiratory tract in-
fections, diabetes, and high blood pressure. 
(5) As evidence of the significant effect that 
Venezuela’s economic crisis has on public health, 
Venezuela’s Health Ministry reported that in 
2016— 
(A) there was a 30-percent increase in the 
infant mortality rate; and 
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(B) there was a 60-percent increase in the 
maternal mortality rate. 
(6) According to the United Nations Human 
Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Venezuelan 
intelligence and security forces have increasingly 
used arbitrary arrests and detentions to repress and 
intimidate civil society, political opponents, and any 
voices of dissent. 
(7) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated, ‘‘The 
failure to hold security forces accountable for such 
serious human rights violations suggests that the 
rule of law is virtually absent in Venezuela.’’. 
(8) According to the United Nations High Com-
missioner for Human Rights, since 2014 more than 
1,500,000 Venezuelans have fled the country for 
reasons including violence, political oppression, and 
the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that— 
(1) Venezuela’s economic, humanitarian, secu-
rity, and refugee crisis has resulted in extraordinary 
and temporary conditions that currently prevent 
Venezuelan nationals from safely returning to Ven-
ezuela; and 
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(2) Venezuela should be designated under sub-
section (b)(1)(C) of section 244 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a) for a period 
of 18 months to permit nationals of Venezuela to be 
eligible for temporary protected status in accordance 
with such section. 
SEC. 4. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEM-
PORARY PROTECTED STATUS. 
(a) DESIGNATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of section 244 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1254a), Venezuela shall be treated as if it had been 
designated under subsection (b)(1)(C) of that sec-
tion, subject to the provisions of this section. 
(2) PERIOD OF DESIGNATION.—The initial pe-
riod of the designation referred to in paragraph (1) 
shall be for the 18-month period beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) ALIENS ELIGIBLE.—As a result of the designa-
tion made under subsection (a), an alien who is a national 
of Venezuela is deemed to satisfy the requirements under 
paragraph (1) of section 244(c) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)), subject to paragraph 
(3) of such section, if the alien— 
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(1) has been continuously physically present in 
the United States since the date of the enactment of 
this Act; 
(2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as 
otherwise provided in paragraph (2)(A) of such sec-
tion, and is not ineligible for temporary protected 
status under paragraph (2)(B) of such section; and 
(3) registers for temporary protected status in 
a manner established by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security. 
(c) CONSENT TO TRAVEL ABROAD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall give prior consent to travel abroad, in 
accordance with section 244(f)(3) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(f)(3)), to 
an alien who is granted temporary protected status 
pursuant to the designation made under subsection 
(a) if the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the 
Secretary of Homeland Security that emergency and 
extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the 
alien require the alien to depart for a brief, tem-
porary trip abroad. 
(2) TREATMENT UPON RETURN.—An alien re-
turning to the United States in accordance with an 
authorization described in paragraph (1) shall be 
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treated as any other returning alien provided tem-
porary protected status under section 244 of the Im-
migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a). 
Æ 
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