“President Donald Trump has long touted his policy on Venezuela as part of his commitment to fight socialism, but he has repeatedly refused to offer Venezuelan exiles protection from deportation. With the election less than three months away, Trump has made Latinos in South Florida central to his reelection in the battleground state, repeatedly sending top administration officials down to Miami to tout his hard line against Cuba and Venezuela” Politico reports.

“The Republican National Convention will feature the two countries this week, as multiple speakers discuss their experiences with socialism — and warn that Democrats would replicate the hard-left policies of the Cuban and Venezuelan governments. Trump’s anti-socialist messaging, however, has served as a reminder to Florida Republicans and Democrats alike that his administration has not granted temporary legal status to Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis brought on by Nicolás Maduro’s regime, despite repeated calls from South Florida leaders and the Venezuelan exile community to do so. Allowing Venezuelans to live and work legally in the U.S. would be a clear political win for Trump and the GOP in Florida, but Republicans, former administration officials and Latin America analysts say it hasn’t happened because of a conflict between two main groups: Florida Republicans hoping to deliver another win in 2020 in the state, and immigration hardliners trying to keep immigrants and asylum-seekers out of the United States. And so far, the immigration hawks have won the president’s ear.”