US policy encourages Venezuelans to head to US border

Significance

The Biden administration’s indication of tougher sanctions on the Maduro government may play well in terms of next month’s midterm elections but it is likely to increase further the flow of migrants from Venezuela towards the United States.

Impacts

• Republican candidates will use the rising number of Venezuelan migrants to argue that Biden’s immigration policies are failing.
• Republican governors in Florida and Texas will continue to move migrants to Democratic states as this is popular on the right.
• With few new tools to address the situation in Venezuela, the Biden administration will struggle to produce positive results.