A group of Democrats in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a> urged President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> on Wednesday to reverse Trump-era sanctions on communist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cuba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cuba</a> and socialist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/venezuela" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venezuela</a>.
<a href="https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1227" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A letter</a>, spearheaded by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), argued these penalties are &#8220;push-factors&#8221; fueling a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crisis at the southern border</a> ahead of the imminent expiration of the Title 42 policy credited with blocking millions of crossings.
“Experts widely agree that broad-based U.S. sanctions — expanded to an unprecedented level by former President Donald Trump — are a critical contributing factor in the current increase in migration,” the group said.
“In light of their grave humanitarian toll on the peoples of those countries, and the significant logistical challenges that the resulting increase in migration is causing for federal, state, and local authorities, we urge you to act swiftly to lift the failed and indiscriminate economic sanctions that were imposed by the prior administration,&#8221; they added.
The Trump administration <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1239" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued sanctions</a> against Venezuela to punish the &#8220;illegitimate&#8221; regime led by President Nicolás Maduro, citing an &#8220;abuse&#8221; of natural resources, and against Cuba <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-florida-archive-courts-cuba-1380bca4b965163fde80a31cef3b1396" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to reverse</a> what former President Donald Trump called &#8220;the Obama-Biden sellout to the Castro regime.&#8221; In the final days of Trump&#8217;s administration, the federal government re-designated Cuba as a <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-hits-cuba-with-new-terrorism-sanctions-in-waning-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;state sponsor of terrorism.&#8221;</a>
<a href="https://escobar.house.gov/uploadedfiles/final_letter_migration_and_cuba__venzuela_sanctions.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The letter</a> from House Democrats, which bore the signatures of more than a dozen lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), argued the Trump-era sanctions have blasted the economies of Cuba and Venezuela, making such things as food and medicine scarcer.
They recognize that Biden has already lifted some <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/us/politics/biden-cuba-policy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penalties</a> on both <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/26/1139284014/biden-venezuela-oil-sanctions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">countries</a>, but lament how &#8220;most of the Trump administration-imposed sanctions remain and continue to exacerbate our challenges at the border.&#8221;
Officials from the federal level down to the local level are bracing for a migrant surge as the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/18/human-tidal-wave-is-waiting-for-border-to-open-may-11-biden-has-no-plan-to-stop-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pandemic-era Title 42</a>, which allows authorities to quickly turn away migrants at the border on public health grounds, is set to expire by the end of Thursday.
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Border agents are already making up to 10,000 apprehensions daily this week, Customs and Border Protection sources <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-encounters-10000-migrants-third-day-numbers-swell-before-title-42-drops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a>. The rising numbers has given Republicans more reason to accuse the Biden administration of mismanaging the border situation.
As noted by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/10/biden-border-venezuela-sanctions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>, the House Democrats&#8217; push to further ease up sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba sets up a clash with Senate Foreign Affairs Chairman Robert Melendez (D-NJ), a major critic of both the governments leading both countries.
Menendez released a joint <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorMenendez/status/1656436733251125248" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> with other Senate Democrats on Thursday that made no mention of Cuba or Venezuela, instead making other suggestions such as imploring Biden to &#8220;expand legal pathways for migrants from Central America and help local economies thrive, as well as redesignate Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua for TPS [Temporary Protected Status], and issue TPS designation for Guatemala.&#8221;

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX)

Dems Urge Biden To Loosen Sanctions On Communist Cuba, Socialist Venezuela To Mitigate Border Crisis

Border

Congress

Cuba

Title 42

U.S.

Venezuela

Canary CEO Dan Eberhart pinned low oil production on <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> policies intended to accelerate a rapid pivot toward renewable <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">energy</a>.
The executive of the oilfield services company said during an <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/energy/oil-industry-exec-rips-biden-admin-throwing-wet-blankets-energy-hurting-pocketbooks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo that regulations and idealism regarding the energy transition have decreased output and worsened inflationary pressures for households.
&#8220;The administration just keeps throwing wet blankets at the industry, death by a thousand cuts,&#8221; Eberhart remarked, noting that production has declined 10% since the Trump administration despite higher oil prices. “Why is that? Because the administration is not being helpful and not trying to increase supply, and it&#8217;s hurting consumers and they just don&#8217;t seem to care.&#8221;
Biden has emphasized green energy while <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-administration-severely-cuts-back-on-oil-and-gas-leases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leasing less federal land</a> for oil and gas drilling than any administration since the end of World War II. Soon after his inauguration, Biden also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/keystone-pipeline-dead-killed-by-biden-thousands-of-jobs-lost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discontinued</a> expansions to the Keystone XL pipeline project. The administration began <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-to-release-more-oil-from-strategic-reserve-ahead-of-midterms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">releasing</a> 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a stock of emergency crude oil created to manage supply disruptions in energy markets, earlier this year.
&#8220;President Biden has canceled the offshore lease auctions,” Eberhart added. “He stopped fracking on federal land and the permitting process, which is really what&#8217;s important, not the leases, the permits are coming out of the administration much slower than they were out of the Trump administration.”
Democrats have contended that windfall profits in the fossil fuel sector are attributable to corporate price gouging rather than supply constraints. Some lawmakers in the state of California are attempting to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-moves-to-limit-oil-company-profits-in-energy-strapped-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduce</a> a price gouging penalty; member states of the European Union are likewise preparing to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/european-union-social-market-economy-might-redistribute-fossil-fuel-profits">tax</a> surplus oil and gas revenues.
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry remarked during a Thursday <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2022/12/08/this-is-climate-us-climate-agenda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with The Washington Post that the energy transition is not occurring “fast enough,” claiming that policymakers can no longer “run around and do one bespoke deal here, another bespoke deal there.” Eberhart called the sentiment tone-deaf, particularly given current recessionary risks.
&#8220;I think what he said is preposterous,&#8221; he reacted. &#8220;I&#8217;d like to see economic growth six times faster, and I&#8217;d like to see construction projects happen 20 times faster. But, look, there&#8217;s a difference between politicians and business, and business can only produce so much. And we&#8217;ve got to move incrementally. We&#8217;ve got to get done what we can get done.”
The White House has also been the subject of criticism for soliciting higher oil output abroad while suppressing production domestically. The government of Saudi Arabia revealed the commander-in-chief requested that OPEC refrain from cutting oil production until after the midterm elections. More recently, he began <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-to-ease-sanctions-on-socialist-venezuela-releases-maduros-convicted-narco-trafficker-nephews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">easing sanctions</a> on Venezuela so that Chevron, an American oil company, could resume production in the socialist nation.
&#8220;The government should really focus on helping America and helping America&#8217;s national security position and helping American consumers,&#8221; Eberhart said. &#8220;The Biden administration, they&#8217;re not looking to Texas and North Dakota for more oil. They&#8217;re looking to Venezuela, they&#8217;re looking to Saudi Arabia. I think it&#8217;s absolutely ridiculous being in the oil industry. It absolutely drives me crazy that they don&#8217;t look to Texas for more oil, to North Dakota for oil.&#8221;

President Biden Delivers Remarks On Preserving And Protecting Democracy

‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’: Oil Executive Details How Biden Is A Drag On The Industry

Oil Executive Explains How Biden Is A Drag On The Industry

Biden Administration

Energy

Oil and Gas

Saudi Arabia

Former Miami Republican congressman David Rivera was arrested on Monday in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation that possibly includes failing to register as a foreign agent in the U.S. for consulting with Venezuela’s socialist government-run oil company.
Rivera, who served one term in office from 2011 to 2013, has been allegedly under investigation after signing a $50 million consulting contract from a U.S. affiliate of Venezuela’s socialist government-run oil company under President Nicolas Maduro.
Marlene Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-miami-arrests-criminal-investigations-david-rivera-a81683364212d7c86068839290bd8630">The Associated Press</a> that authorities arrested Rivera at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Monday. However, Rodriguez could not discuss the charges for Rivera due to a sealed indictment by a Miami grand jury last month, which included other defendants.
Rivera, 57, appeared in an Atlanta federal court following his arrest but bailed out of jail later in the afternoon, according to the U.S. Marshal’s Service reported by <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/12/05/feds-arrest-former-miami-congressman-david-rivera-amid-venezuela-probe/">local media</a>.
<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">TIRED OF THE LEGACY MEDIA&#8217;S BIAS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AND OBSCURING THE TRUTH? JOIN US AND SAVE 30%.</a>
Jeffrey Feldman, an attorney for Rivera, declined to comment to The Associated Press, adding via text message that he had “not seen the indictment.”
PDV USA, a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezeluan-owned oil company Citgo, sued Rivera’s Interamerican Consulting company in 2020 on allegations the former congressman failed to hold up his end of the contract he signed three years before the lawsuit, which was reportedly said to improve the image of the Venezuelan firm in the United States.
Venezuela’s U.S. affiliate reportedly accused Rivera of doing little work after the businesses collected $20 million from a subsidiary.
“The written record is bereft of any evidence that Interamerican performed any of the contracted services,” PDV USA argues in the new filings, according to The Associated Press. “There is not a single email, a single PowerPoint presentation, a single outline, a single memorandum, a single calendar entry, or anything else suggesting that Interamerican ever performed any of the services.”
Court documents reported by <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article269634466.html">The Miami Herald</a> show that Rivera allegedly diverted at least $13 million of that money to three subcontractors in Miami who supposedly gave “international strategic consulting services” to the Venezuelan firm.
Such subcontractors allegedly included Miami real estate developer Hugo Perera, who authorities convicted in one of South Florida’s biggest drug-trafficking cases.
PDV USA is seeking to recover the $20 million in payments from Rivera’s company.
Rivera’s firm has filed a counterclaim seeking full payment of the contract.
Rivera also reportedly orchestrated an unknown Democratic candidate to run against his main rival in a South Florida congressional race, hid a $1 million contract with a gambling company, and misused campaign funds to pay for state House activities that the State had already refunded.
Before Rivera entered Congress, he served as a Florida legislator from 2003 to 2010 in the state House. He shared a home in Tallahassee with former Flordia House Speaker and current U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

Republican David Rivera Campaigns For House Seat

Former Republican Miami Congressman Arrested In Ongoing Venezuela Oil Investigation

Florida

Miami

Louisiana GOP Senator John Kennedy took a harsh shot at President Biden and his “<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/energy/oil-execs-rip-biden-admins-completely-inaccurate-flat-out-lie-us-energy-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">America-Last” energy policy</a>, likening it to roadkill that Kennedy’s beagle used to bring home and put under his porch.
Kennedy appeared on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends,&#8221; where co-host Ainsley Earhardt noted the regulations the Biden administration is implementing “to prevent any methane leaks here at home.” On Monday, the Biden Administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) <a href="https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2022-11/Proposed%20Waste%20Prevention%20Rule%20RIN%201004-AE79.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed a new rule</a> that would replace BLM’s current requirements governing venting and flaring, acknowledging it would cost the oil and gas industry roughly $122 million per year.
Earhardt pointed out that the Biden administration had no problem with the oil drilling in socialist-ridden Venezuela, a regime that is hostile to the United States.
On Saturday, the Biden Treasury Department <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/white-house-defends-easing-oil-sanctions-venezuela-says-plenty-opportunities-drill-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> it would soften U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, permitting Chevron to resume &#8220;limited&#8221; energy production in the country. American Energy Alliance President Tom Pyle <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/energy/oil-execs-rip-biden-admins-completely-inaccurate-flat-out-lie-us-energy-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ripped</a> the Biden administration on Tuesday, blasting, “We&#8217;ve basically tracked about 125 specific actions that this administration and the Democratic Congress have done to slow down or stop oil production in America. He has an ‘America last’ energy policy.&#8221;
“How do you feel about that?” Earhardt asked about the difficulty the Biden administration makes for domestic oil companies. “It’s more rules for us and allowing Venezuela with this dictatorship to drill.”
Kennedy then gave a folksy analogy to describe Biden’s energy policy: &#8220;Ainsley, I used to have a beagle named Roger. And Roger was a rascal. About every two weeks, Roger would run off. He’d always come back but about half the time he’d come back dragging roadkill that he would hide under my back porch. President Biden’s energy policy looks like something Roger used to keep under my back porch.&#8221;
“It is a fact that America has the greatest economy, strongest economy in all human history; we can’t run it without fossil fuels, not today, not tomorrow,” Kennedy explained. “It is also a fact that through reserves in technology America can produce every drop of oil and natural gas we need and have extra left over to sell to our friends.”
Then he turned to Biden’s fealty to the hard-left wing of his party: “That presents a problem for President Biden because he has embraced the woke, or berserk wing, of the Democratic party and woke ideology says we have to get rid of oil and gas in the United States.”
He summed up: “So President Biden has developed a new energy policy and it is this: Instead of producing at a cheaper cost our own oil and gas in America, we’re going to buy oil from foreign countries that hate us — in this case, Venezuela — so those foreign countries will have more money to buy weapons to try to kill us. It’s a moron-athon.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
America can produce every drop of oil &amp; natural gas that we need &amp; still have extra to sell to our friends. 
That presents a problem for Pres. Biden b/c he embraced the berserk wing of the Democratic party—&amp; their woke ideology says we have to get rid of oil &amp; gas in the U.S. <a href="https://t.co/m57fjqWmtk">pic.twitter.com/m57fjqWmtk</a>
&mdash; John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenJohnKennedy/status/1598038797718999040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Louisiana Politics

‘Roadkill’: Kennedy Says Biden’s Energy Policy Reminds Him Of What His Beagle Brought Home

Kennedy Says Biden's Energy Policy Reminds Him Of What His Beagle Brought Home

Joe Biden

John Kennedy

There&#8217;s a straightforward solution that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> could enact in order to alleviate the nation&#8217;s ongoing energy crisis.
President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> needs to remove government barriers to oil production and signal to the industry that America is open for business.
It looks like Biden loves the idea — except not for American oil. Over the Thanksgiving break, the Treasury Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/put-america-last-biden-gives-chevron-greenlight-to-start-pumping-oil-in-venezuela-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> it would allow Chevron to resume pumping oil in Venezuela.
Curiously, the Biden administration claims that it removed the sanctions on the socialist country for reasons other than bringing down the costs of fuel.
“This action is not being taken in response to energy prices, this is a limited license,&#8221; an anonymous official told Politico. &#8220;As we have said in the past, this is about the regime taking the steps needed to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.&#8221;
So interestingly enough, the Biden administration thinks that temporarily assisting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s regime takes precedence over the battle against climate change.
Democracy in Venezuela is more important than stopping carbon emissions. Yet fighting climate change remains more important than helping the average American by taking steps to ensure more domestic production of oil. So to keep track of Biden&#8217;s priorities it goes: 1) Venezuelan democracy, 2) climate change, and dead last is affordable energy for Americans.
Never mind putting the kibosh on American oil, the Biden administration has also taken steps in recent months to squander the country&#8217;s relationship with Guyana — an ally in South America.
<a href="https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/bidens-dirty-oil-deal-with-venezuela-free-elections-guyana-environmental-reparations-strategic-value-pdvsa-11669579238" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According</a> to The Wall Street Journal, America recently blocked a $70 million loan from U.S.-based bank IBD Investments that would have allowed Guyana to upgrade necessary infrastructure in the country to allow exports of its oil.
WSJ columnist Mary Anastasia O’Grady said the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;reasoning was based on August 2021 Treasury &#8216;guidance on fossil fuel energy at the multilateral development banks,&#8217; which says that the U.S. will &#8216;promote ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy.'&#8221;
Who is stepping in to assist Guyana? The Chinese Communist Party.
As O&#8217;Grady put it, &#8220;The U.S. government thinks you’re a fool, dear reader.&#8221;
The Biden administration &#8220;expects you to believe that Venezuela is considering a return to free elections in exchange,&#8221; she wrote.  Venezuela&#8217;s partners with Iran and the Venezuelan people have suffered for decades thanks to the socialist principles and policies in play in the South American nation.
Meanwhile, the regime will undoubtedly become wealthier thanks to the Biden administration.
At the same time, the Chinese are working to increase their stature in the region by producing the necessary funding for Guyana&#8217;s oil industry to prosper.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it should be noted, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-devastating-blow-to-john-kerrys-green-energy-utopia-china-to-start-increasing-coal-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ignored</a> the Biden administration&#8217;s call to reduce Co2 emissions. It has, to put it bluntly, taken climate czar John Kerry to the woodshed on numerous occasions and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jetsetter-john-kerry-asks-worlds-poorest-to-cut-back-on-oil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often don&#8217;t answer his emails</a>.
So if communist China and ultra-socialist Venezuela are benefiting from the Biden team&#8217;s ineptitude, then who is suffering? The American people.
Despite being on the brink of true energy independence upon coming into office, the Democrats in charge have done everything imaginable to reduce fossil fuel production, destroy Americans&#8217; jobs, and ratchet up the price of gas. In its place, they push costly electric vehicles and praise the &#8220;transition.&#8221;
In other words, Biden prefers communist oil, not American-produced. To paraphrase the Journal, it is a &#8220;dirty deal.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Biden Prefers Communist Oil, Not American-Produced

Communism

Executive

Fossil Fuels

Politics

Democrat President Joe Biden faced backlash over the weekend after his administration announced it would allow Chevron to resume pumping oil in socialist Venezuela.
The move from the leftist Biden administration reversed restrictions that the Trump administration had put on companies in an effort to oust socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
&#8220;On November 26th, the Unitary Platform and the Maduro regime announced the resumption of talks in Mexico City; a humanitarian agreement focused on education, health, food security, flood response, and electricity programs that will benefit the Venezuelan people; and agreement on the continuation of talks focused on the 2024 elections,&#8221; the Treasury Department said in a statement. &#8220;Following this announcement and consistent with U.S. government policy, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela General License (GL) 41, authorizing Chevron Corporation to resume limited natural resource extraction operations in Venezuela.&#8221;
The statement said that the move by the administration to &#8220;provide targeted sanctions relief&#8221; was based on the Venezuelan government&#8217;s recent actions to help its people and &#8220;support the restoration of democracy.&#8221;
The sanctions relief that the administration is providing to Venezuela will last six months, at which point it could be revoked or amended.
Venezuela&#8217;s economy was wrecked by its &#8220;state-run economic model&#8221; that &#8220;wasted the world’s largest oil reserves,&#8221; CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/venezuela-inflation-at-10-million-percent-its-time-for-shock-therapy.html">reported</a> in 2019. The report added that inflation in the country had reached a peak of nearly 10 million percent that year since 2018, which left many unable to feed themselves.
The move by the Biden administration to ease sanctions on Venezuela comes as the administration has been hostile to issuing new drilling permits in the U.S., which has invited intense criticism.
Former White House Economic Adviser Stephen Moore <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-allowing-chevron-drill-venezuela-makes-absolutely-no-sense-stephen-moore">said</a> Sunday that the move by the administration makes no sense and puts America last.
&#8220;I literally almost fell out of my chair reading this headline that says we&#8217;re going to allow, you know, Chevron to do drilling in Venezuela,&#8221; Moore told Fox News. &#8220;This is the same administration that won&#8217;t allow us to do drilling here in the United States, not in Texas, not in Oklahoma, not in Alaska, not in West Virginia. But we can pump oil from Venezuela. It makes absolutely no sense. It&#8217;s put America last energy policy.&#8221;
&#8220;And by the way, when Trump left office and I helped Trump on energy policy, our whole policy was to make America totally energy independent so we wouldn&#8217;t have to rely on countries like Venezuela and Iran and Russia,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And so somebody explain this one to me because it makes no sense.&#8221;

Nicol·s Maduro Press Conference After Controversial Parliamentary Elections

‘Put America Last’: Biden Gives Chevron Greenlight To Start Pumping Oil In Venezuela Again

Biden Gives Chevron Greenlight To Start Pumping Oil In Venezuela Again

World

The Biden administration is close to granting a license to Chevron to resume pumping oil in Venezuela, following previous reporting that President Joe Biden would ease sanctions on the socialist country to allow the U.S. oil company to continue production.
Chevron has retained stakes in Venezuelan oil fields through its joint ventures with Venezuela’s state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-poised-to-grant-chevron-license-to-pump-oil-in-venezuela-11669231901?mod=e2tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The new license would allow Chevron to regain partial control of its production and maintenance in Venezuela.
The new license is contingent on an expected announcement from the Venezuelan government and its political opponents to implement a $3 billion humanitarian program using funds recently unfrozen by the U.S., and to resume talks to resolve the socialist country’s political crisis by implementing free and fair elections, the Journal reported.
The license would not be permanent and would require renewal in the future, but once granted, it would allow Chevron to operate in Venezuela under a sanctions framework similar to what was in effect in 2019 when former President Donald Trump’s administration implemented sanctions in an effort to oust Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro.
The Biden administration initially signaled that it would allow Chevron to resume pumping oil in Venezuela in October when Russia and Saudi Arabia announced they would massively reduce oil production to just two million barrels per day, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-to-ease-sanctions-on-socialist-venezuela-releases-maduros-convicted-narco-trafficker-nephews">reported</a>.
At the same time, the Biden administration also released convicted narco-traffickers related to Maduro in exchange for hostages taken by the regime, a move that could incentivize other hostile foreign powers to detain American citizens so they can use that as leverage over the Biden administration.
“Well, the two Venezuelans that were released are the nephews of Maduro who happen to be convicted drug dealers,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said. “They were put in jail after being convicted after a fair trial in the United States. Evidence was produced and it was overwhelming.”
“That has now put a price tag on Americans. Every time you do one of these deals — and I wanted those people released as much as anybody,” Rubio continued. “But every time you do this, now others know, I can take Americans, I can hold them until I need something as a bargaining chip.”
Rubio said that the trade was a big win for the socialist dictator: “So I think seven innocent American hostages in exchange for two convicted drug dealers who happen to be the nephews of Maduro is a huge win for Maduro and, unfortunately, puts Americans all over the world now in danger.”
Ryan Saavedra contributed to this report.

President Biden Meets With Mexican President Obrador In The Oval Office

Biden Administration Preparing To Give Chevron License To Pump Oil In Venezuela

My family escaped socialism in Venezuela when I was two years-old. Now, as Venezuelan-Americans, we deeply appreciate America, which affords us freedom, opportunity, and equality. 
Many members of my family have migrated to Peru, Argentina, and Poland over the past 18 years in hopes of a better life, but none of these countries compare to the United States, where I have received extraordinary opportunities.
American students who idealize socialism (or even communism) would do well to listen to those who have experienced, and fled from, this corrupt and oppressive system. Unfortunately, just the opposite is happening on U.S. college campuses where fictitious notions of life under socialism flourish. Not only this, but any information pointing to the realities of living under such regimes is often denied, shut down, or completely blocked.
I am currently a student at Florida International University and see first-hand the hypocrisy from my peers when it comes to understanding the difference between capitalism and socialism. 
They advocate for socialism while enjoying Starbucks lattes, new iPhones, and Spring Break trips. Capitalism makes these luxuries a reality for middle class Americans, but too many students fail to understand, or simply refuse to admit, that these are benefits unavailable to those living under socialism.
I am astonished and dismayed by the number of my peers who support socialism, the very system that forced so much of my family to flee Venezuela and that keeps the ones who still live there in poverty. I know this because much of my family remains in Venezuela, making me keenly aware of how much I benefit from living in a free, democratic, and capitalist system.
Venezuelans have a <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__www.rescue.org_article_what-2Dhappening-2Dvenezuela-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE95hr6WIA-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=Ch_AejtSz3gYj07seqjw_-wBhNeT5xait9Maj96B0a8&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hard time affording</a> the basic necessities of life, let alone $6 Frappuccinos and $1,000 laptops. 
One Christmas, I called my family in Venezuela and, to my surprise, my little cousin was screaming for joy that he had been gifted a warm cup of milk. The reality is, far from providing them with economic opportunity and meaningful equality, socialism has instead kept my family in Venezuela in terrible poverty.
Despite this stark difference, my classmates are uninterested in learning from me and those that have actually experienced socialist dictatorships, and are too entitled to realize just how much they benefit from living under the economic and governmental system of the United States.
In fact, one of my peers confronted me during class over an Instagram post wherein I criticized dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela. She felt offended that I had expressed disapproval for communist regimes and said that America was no better. Most of the class agreed with her, citing supposed systemic oppression in the United States.
One of the reasons young Americans view socialism and communism more favorably than capitalism is because the education system glosses over – or completely falsifies – their horrors. In particular, college faculty tend to romanticize socialist regimes. For example, a Northeastern Illinois University philosophy professor <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__www.campusreform.org_article-3Fid-3D10887-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE9MBU9W6o-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=X7_39uOfs3j3_Og1Za5IVyI8phXcikEy1rw6PvRNEcg&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> in 2018 that the redistribution of wealth was the key to “sexual fulfillment.” Nikole Hannah-Jones, infamous creator of the 1619 Project and <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__thedig.howard.edu_all-2Dstories_two-2Diconic-2Damerican-2Dwriters-2Djoin-2Dhoward-2Dcreate-2Dcenter-2Dhelp-2Deducate-2Dnext-2Dgeneration-2Dblack-2Djournalists-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE9swEIaVM-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=zBEPsAllfBT1GwdVUPqZCfGCOAhnfmGsqZzmYSpiYYI&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faculty</a> at Howard University, <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__www.campusreform.org_article-3Fid-3D17831-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE9ULU1oEU-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=u9opi2SmKMBOTG8KRlPX28SDWaWGltzxpj0E_LvwzJQ&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Cuba one of the “most equal” countries. “Cuba actually has the least inequality, and that’s largely due to socialism, which I’m sure no one wants to hear,” Hannah-Jones <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__nypost.com_2021_07_19_nikole-2Dhannah-2Djones-2Dsaid-2Dcuba-2Dmost-2Dequal-2Dwestern-2Dcountry_-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE9jtPX6DM-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=YB9F3Hz6o0qCFZ5AnFeS3rCaQjJUi7beVCxaiyVbf_w&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a podcast interview. And just last year a professor at Riverside City College in California <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__www.campusreform.org_article-3Fid-3D18035-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE9dtjDHeU-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=M99Wvc3Oo_WtVWEd0-KCzaCGJpEZb4c3YCKzZvhPcBM&amp;e=">said</a> that “Soviet socialism saved and improved tens of millions of lives.”
Equality does exist in Venezuela: all individuals have equally poor outcomes. This is not the type of equality Americans should be praising. We must fight to expose the truth about living under socialism.
My parents witnessed Venezuela’s socialist dictatorship destroy all possibility and hope for progress in our native country. This shaped their admiration for American culture. We remain unequivocally grateful to God and the United States for the chance to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. These values are in stark contrast to Venezuela&#8217;s corrupt and oppressive regime.
I will keep doing everything I can to educate my peers and, sadly, professors about the present and historical reality of socialism, and open their eyes to the tragedy it has caused in Venezuela and <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__urldefense.com_v3_-5F-5Fhttps-3A__communistcrimes.org_en-5F-5F-3B-21-21PxibshUo2Yr-5FTa5B-211NQbVVu33eOcM8b0e2bOH4CpSWdl-2D1ffiEfZ-2DYlrjPjpLgtvTvfNxFEpmxKQanJDU29jZmEiipmfjIFvRzE9Qi56-5FKQ-24&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=4ZqltSlZiDsMCU7IpmmkNNOw7u0yhtIthLsXpJuMtvU&amp;m=zTC2mntWum-SA5yFwyLHE8TIHJ9jmhSAQPcYgwYwpi8&amp;s=xT2hbluJvhiYYJi1bjy_-RdITazLdjLs2qDdzhVsaGk&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worldwide</a>. Unfortunately, the truth seems to fall on deaf ears on U.S. college campuses today.
Melissa Da Gama is a correspondent with the Leadership Institute’s Campus Reform and a student at Florida International University.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

VENEZUELA-TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO-MIGRATION-SHIPWRECK-PROTEST

Socialism Destroyed My Country. It Can Destroy America Too.

Campus Reform

College

Readers Pass

Socialism

Growing up in Venezuela, a country deeply afflicted by anarchy and corruption, taught me just how important a free marketplace of ideas is to the very foundation of a prosperous society.
The notion that conflicting opinions and opposition ought to be encouraged, not persecuted, seemed revolutionary to a teenager moving to the United States. Just how those states managed to stay united, despite there being open conversations about governmental misdoings, was something my mind could not comprehend at the time.
Contrasting this practice to the countless hours my childhood memories showed of Hugo Chavez’s infamous “cadenas nacionales” – times when my country’s dictator <a href="https://www.clarin.com/mundo/venezuela-chavismo-interrumpir-conferencia-capriles_0_r1GMj9_sDQe.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interrupted</a> every national media broadcast and forced all citizens to watch him – left me in a dizzying state of awe.
Freedom of speech is one of the most important civil rights in a democratic society. By promoting autonomy and self-expression, it enables citizens to exercise critical scrutiny in the formation of a public opinion that keeps the governing body in check. Yet, in the past few years, the evolution of social media as a platform for speech has introduced a new and unknown variable into the public discourse equation.
Subsequent attempts by those very platforms at imposing restrictions on public rhetoric have shown one side on the political spectrum being pitted against the other, with seemingly arbitrary decisions being made without further explanations. The same companies who claim the First Amendment acts as their guiding compass seem to struggle with the distinction that ought to be made between a platform and a publisher.
It came as no surprise, then, that when Elon Musk finally announced his take over of Twitter, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/extremely-messed-up-elon-musk-blasts-activist-groups-for-pushing-advertisers-to-ditch-twitter-destroy-free-speech-in-america">the internet erupted into chaos</a>. Musk, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” has explained that free speech to him is “that which matches the law.”
“If people want less free speech,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519036983137509376?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reasoned</a> on Twitter, “they will ask government to pass laws to that effect.”
John Stuart Mill’s classic &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486421309/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Liberty</a>&#8220; provides a conception of personal freedom, harm, and freedom of expression that has extended considerable influence on modern First Amendment jurisprudence – the base upon which the law Musk refers to is based.
By presenting an evolving understanding of the meaning of freedom itself, Mill inspires a “marketplace of ideas” in which truth is not deterred by leaders or censorship, but enhanced by diversity of opinion, dissent, and challenges to orthodoxy.
He contends that the organic true self is “not a machine to be built after a model,” but a living thing that must be protected from both governmental tyranny and societal conformity. In this sense, freedom is not exclusively valuable in an instrumental capacity, but it presents choices and expression as a form of self-creation with profound moral significance.
Mill’s defense of freedom of thought provides an argument both promoting the marketplace of ideas and opposing governmental and societal suppression centered around three main contentions.
First, because there is no single individual who knows the truth, restricting an idea may entail censoring the truth.
Second, the best path towards arriving at this truth is through free competition of ideas. If a certain conclusion is unable to withstand the weight of a challenge, then it should not be deemed true in the first place.
Finally, because no one idea is the sum of the truth, even those suggestions containing only a portion of the truth can help society acquire knowledge. In this sense, falsehoods offer value, as they both test the truth and prevent it from becoming a dogma.
Therefore, Mill contends, the pursuit of truth should be directed by an exchange of ideas that empowers individuality against the coercion of social conventions.
 Much like Musk, he believes in a free marketplace of ideas in which individual participants are allowed to organically determine their own rules and regulations, without the need for arbitrary restrictions to be imposed by inexperienced third parties.
This doctrine has arguably shaped modern free speech jurisprudence, as Mill’s harm principle’s determination that speech may only be limited when it causes a direct and clear violation of rights is reflected in standard First Amendment applications and common law cases.
This was best exemplified in the case of <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/supreme-court/1978/49769-6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Village of Skokie v. National Socialist Party of America</a>, where the Illinois Supreme Court held that a display of swastikas did not constitute “fighting words,” meaning that it was not likely to incite immediate violence or retaliation, and its restriction was therefore unconstitutional. 
This evaluation of whether an expression will result in imminent lawless action found in the American legal system represents Mill’s legacy: “public expression of ideas may not be prohibited merely because the ideas are themselves offensive to some of their hearers.”
However, it is important to consider that if Mill’s principle is used as the base for limiting speech, very few prohibitions will result. Since restriction is only warranted when a direct harm can be demonstrated, this will potentially translate into only cases implicating specific individuals or tangible consequences getting checked.
Thus, as Elon Musk ventures out to reimagine a world in which social media promotes “absolute” freedom of speech, this same struggle for balance between safety and liberty is bound to present a challenge.
Whatever the case, it is imperative that the United States maintain the same course towards freedom of thought and diversity of opinion that has allowed this nation to adopt such an extraordinary role in history.
I already had to leave my country. If this one fails, I don’t know where I’ll go.
Olga Benacerraf is a Pre-Law student at Boston University and is originally from Caracas, Venezuela.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

VENEZUELA-POLITICS-RECALL REFERENDUM

Growing Up In Venezuela Made Me Appreciate Free Speech And The Marketplace Of Ideas

Elon Musk

First Amendment

Free Speech

Last week, Saudi Arabia announced, in conjunction with OPEC+, that it would be cutting oil production in the face of dropping prices. That decision came in spite of the Biden White House’s lobbying in favor of increased production, which included a sycophantic visit by Biden to Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. In response to the Saudi announcement, the White House quickly announced that the United States would be re-evaluating its relationship with the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the White House announced that it would be “preparing to scale down sanctions” on Venezuela’s tyrannical regime, according to the Wall Street Journal. The goal: increased oil production from the Marxist dictatorship via loosened restrictions on pumping for Chevron. The White House continues to keep channels open with the Iranian mullahs as well, soliciting concessions from the same regime that shoots women in the streets for failing to properly wear Islamic head-coverings.
There is an obvious question to be asked in the face of this random and chaotic non-strategy: why, precisely, doesn’t the Biden Administration just ramp up energy production by unleashing the power of America’s oil industry? After all, America is still the world’s leading supplier of oil and natural gas. And we have billions of dollars in investment sitting on the sidelines; refineries have been dropping offline and energy companies transitioning away from the precise forms of fuel that actually power the globe. 
The answer is just as obvious: this administration is far more tied to its ideological predilections than to reality. Actually, reality actively angers this administration: when it fosters a foolish policy and predictably dire results follow, the administration’s response is pique at that cause-and-effect relationship. This administration pursues green energy boondoggles while begging for energy from America’s foes, watches those foes hold Europe hostage in the midst of a potential nuclear standoff – and then, of course, yells about how cruel our foes are for cutting off energy supplies to our allies. This is both unproductive and geopolitically imbecilic.
But at least it makes the leaders of the free world feel warm and fuzzy inside. And if America’s enemies gain comparative power, at least we’ll have the comfort of snootily lecturing those enemies on the certainty of their political isolation; as State Department Senior Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein recently stated, “low income countries have seen that Saudi Arabia and Russia are colluding against them.”
Odd, then, that low-income countries are disproportionately siding with Russia and Saudi Arabia. Perhaps that has something to do with the continued dedication of wealthy westerners to the proposition that the most effective energy policy for rising from poverty ought to be phased out – that the ladder to prosperity ought to be pulled up behind rich European nations in the name of sophistry spouted by Swedish teenagers who specialize in cross-generational derisive contempt.
The West has surrendered wise policy – or even simply non-suicidal policy – in favor of allegiance to pipe dreams. Then we wonder just why reality seems to keep collapsing in on us like an abandoned house.

Ben Shapiro 2

America’s Suicidal Energy Policy Has Very Real Costs

Ben Shapiro

Iran

OPEC

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> (D) is reportedly preparing to ease sanctions on socialist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/venezuela" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venezuela</a> to allow a U.S. oil company to resume production there, which comes as OPEC announced early Wednesday that it would be significantly cutting oil production.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/05/business/economy-news-inflation-stocks">reported</a> that Russia and Saudi Arabia, acting as the leaders of the 23-member nation OPEC energy cartel, announced a massive reduction in oil production of two million barrels per day, a move that will likely send gas prices skyrocketing and cause political problems for the Biden administration.
The Biden administration is now &#8220;preparing&#8221; to lift sanctions on Venezuela to allow Chevron to pump oil again from the leftist authoritarian regime in an attempt to stave off political disaster for the administration caused by rising fuel prices.
The administration would give &#8220;significant sanctions relief&#8221; if Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro&#8217;s regime held talks with the country&#8217;s political opposition and held free and fair elections in 2024. The administration has also worked out a deal freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars in Venezuelan funds that are frozen in U.S. banking institutions.
The Biden administration also released convicted narco traffickers related to Maduro in exchange for hostages taken by the regime, a move that could incentivize other hostile foreign powers to detain American citizens so they can use that as leverage over the Biden administration.
“Well, the two Venezuelans that were released are the nephews of Maduro who happen to be convicted drug dealers,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said at the start of the week. “They were put in jail after being convicted after a fair trial in the United States. Evidence was produced and it was overwhelming.”
“That has now put a price tag on Americans. Every time you do one of these deals — and I wanted those people released as much as anybody,&#8221; Rubio continued. “But every time you do this, now others know, I can take Americans, I can hold them until I need something as a bargaining chip.”
Rubio said that the trade was a big win for the socialist dictator: “So I think seven innocent American hostages in exchange for two convicted drug dealers who happen to be the nephews of Maduro is a huge win for Maduro and, unfortunately, puts Americans all over the world now in danger.”

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-WEATHER

Biden To Ease Sanctions On Socialist Venezuela, Releases Maduro’s Convicted Narco Trafficker Nephews

Biden To Ease Sanctions On Socialist Venezuela, Releases Maduro's Convicted Narco Trafficker Nephews

Nicolas Maduro

House Republicans are demanding answers over reports that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nicolas-maduro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicolás Maduro</a> regime in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/venezuela" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venezuela</a> has been releasing violent criminals from prison and sending them toward the U.S. in migrant caravans. 
On Thursday, over a dozen House Republicans sent a <a href="https://nehls.house.gov/posts/venezuelan-prisoners-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas questioning if there are any protocols to secure the border from the released criminals reportedly heading toward the border, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-sound-alarm-report-venezuela-sending-violent-criminals-us-border">reported</a>.
“America’s adversaries despise what our country stands for and are now sending their most dangerous individuals to our borders, where they will have no trouble getting in as a result of the Biden Administration’s failed immigration policies. Our overworked border patrol agents can only do so much for so long without your help,” the Republicans wrote in the letter. 
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) led the effort and was joined by 13 of his colleagues, including Texas Reps. Chip Roy, Lance Gooden, and Louie Gohmert. Rep Jim Banks (R-IN), chair of the Republican Study Committee, also signed on to the letter. 
The Republicans asked if the Biden administration has any details on the number of released prisoners believed to be heading toward the U.S., if there are any prisoners already in the country, and additional information on the amount of Venezuelans who have been apprehended at the border this year. 
“This bombshell report confirms what we’ve known for years,” Nehls said, referencing the initial <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/09/18/exclusive-venezuela-empties-prisons-sends-violent-criminals-to-u-s-says-dhs-report/">report</a> from Breitbart. “Our adversaries despise what America stands for and take pride in emptying their prisons filled with the most violent and sick individuals to walk the earth and send them to our southern border, where they know they’ll have no trouble getting in.”
According to <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/us-border-encounters-jump-amid-increased-migration-from-venezuela-nicaragua-cuba/41291666#">statistics</a> from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were over 53,000 unique encounters at the southern border with migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua in August. 
A source <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/09/18/exclusive-venezuela-empties-prisons-sends-violent-criminals-to-u-s-says-dhs-report/">told</a> Breitbart that even when a migrant from Venezuela was detained, it was difficult to determine whether someone had been convicted of a crime or not because of a lack of records in Venezuela.
Rep. Carlos A. Giménez (R-FL), who also signed on to the letter, pinned the blame for the influx of border crossings on the Biden administration. 
“The Biden Administration’s disastrous border policies contribute to unvetted criminals coming in, young children being trafficked by smugglers, billions in monthly profits to the cartels, and the influx of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances pouring into our country,&#8221; he said.

The US/Mexico border wall in Douglas, Arizona USA

Republicans Demand Answers From Biden Admin Over Reports That ‘Violent,’ ‘Sick,’ Convicts Headed To Border

Republicans Demand Answers From Biden Admin Over Reports That 'Violent,' 'Sick,' Convicts Headed To Border

Southern Border

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