Maria Elvira Salazar takes credit for judge extending TPS for Venezuelans

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Once again, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar is trying to take credit for something she didn’t do.

Salazar, who was re-elected last year, was called out when she said she had brought millions in federal dollars to her district and the Miami-Dade area when she actually voted against two federal bills during the Biden administration, including the bipartisan critical infrastructure bill that funded $2.5 million to expand healthcare for seniors and families, $8 million for flooding mitigation along the Miami River and in Little Havana and $3.75 million for police initiatives, among other projects.

She posed for photo ops with big, cardboard checks and then lied about not knowing how she voted on Jim DeFede’s Sunday politics show, Facing South Florida.

This week, Salazar took credit for getting the temporary protective status of Venezuelans extended for 18 months for 350,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. whose TPS had been rescinded by President Trump.

“¡EXCELENTE NOTICIA,” she exclaimed on the platform formerly know as Twitter with an alert emoji. “@DHSgov and @SecNoem will extend TPS for Venezuelans for 18 more months. I have led this fight and I have been asking for this for MONTHS! Thanks to the administration for doing the right thing.” She signed off with U.S. and Venezuela flag emojis.

Except she didn’t do anything. Supporting the introduction last month of the Venezuelan Adjustment Act (H.R. 1348) that was sponsored by Democrat Congressman Darren Soto may have given legal status and a path to citizenship for some Venezuelan nationals who arrived before on or Dec. 31, 2021. How would this stop the deportations of Venezuelans who were scheduled to lose their protections this coming Monday.

It was a federal judge this past Monday put stop to the deportation, something the Trump administration is appealing.

The order by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s reversal of those protections “threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States.”

Chen also said the government failed to provide evidence of “real countervailing harm in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries” and that there is a likelihood that the secretary’s actions “are unauthorized by law, arbitrary and capricious, and motivated by unconstitutional animus.”

Read related: Maria Elvira Salazar sends campaign mailers from congressional office

So, it wasn’t Salazar, after all. It was Chen and the attorneys who argued in front of him on behalf of the immigrants. In fact, Salazar’s dear friend Noem already filed an emergency appeal.

But Salazar isn’t fooling anyone. Not only is there a “readers added content” note saying the congresswoman is “deliberately lying,” but she also got more than comments on her X post Thursday in less than 12 hours — all calling her a liar and an opportunist.

“But it was the Trump administration who took it away [TPS status], it was a judge that restored them, not DHS. But lady!! Do you live in a parallel universe or are you just acting like a crazy person,” asked one user.

“Si, ella tiene la cara bien dura,” responded someone else, using the Cuban term for being able to lie with a straight face.

“You’ve led this fight? This chic talks shit,” says one comment.

“The last straw is to give yourself credit for solid a problem that your boss is responsible for. Thanks to the judge and all the Venezuelans who made this possible,” says another.

Someone calling himself Juan Fuentes said “Fuera #MariaMentiraSalazar for being a shameless liar and hipócrita with no principles or values. You are afraid of Trump and MAGA and want to fool the victims. The party doesn’t matter. Out with the hypocritical liar.“

Tomás Castellanos said, “Lying comes easy to this woman.”

Carlos Viana wrote that the judge had ordered the TPS extended and that Noem called them “basura,” or garbage. “You supported it and didn’t move one finger. We are not idiots, Maria Elvira. Stop being the ridiculous one.”

Richard Lamondin had harsh words, too: “You had nothing to do with this. This victory was won by the valiant Venezuelans who dared to defy the cruel actions of the government. The silence and absence of Congress are the reason why the courts had to act. Do your job.”

“Thanks to who????!!!!!. Please Representative,” posted someone else, “don’t play with the intelligence of your constituents. It was a JUDGE who decided to maintain the 18 month extension that Secretary Mayorkas gave them under the BIDEN administration.”

“You and your entire Republican gang are scoundrels with no morals whatsoever. TPS for Venezuelans continues because a judge prevented the TPS CANCELLATION issued by Kristi Noem and the Trump administration. YOU’RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE,” posted another user.

And it goes on and on and on. Ladra would not be surprised if there are more than 1,000 such comments by morning.

Maybe Salazar wouldn’t have to take credit for doing things she didn’t do if she would actually do something.

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  immigration, Maria Elvira Salazar