Work authorization for Venezuelans helps but won’t solve Chicago’s migrant crisis

A girl takes a bite of a nectarine alongside her father as they wait for a bus to take them to a refugee center outside Union Station on August 31, 2022. The Biden administration expanded Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans who arrived by July 31. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

Venezuelans who have migrated to the U.S. in the last two years got a measure of relief last week when the Biden administration announced they could live and work legally in the U.S. for 18 months if they arrived by July 31. 

It’s also a big break for Chicago, allowing many migrants to seek work legally and begin the process of building lives here.