Nearly 100 Venezuelans at a roundtable this week showed support for passing the Venezuelan Adjustment Act, legislation that would grant Venezuelans a pathway to permanent residency, but the bill needs work, according to experts.
“I have been in the asylum process for the past 10 years without any response” from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, July Artuza said. “My first job in this country was as a dishwasher and, like many, we slowly started making it with my husband and three kids.”
Artuza applied for asylum a decade ago when Nicolas Maduro became president of Venezuela. Asylum is granted to immigrants who are fleeing their country from harm or persecution and allows them to stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
