In the midst of the US naval deployment in the Caribbean and the increase in international pressure against the regime of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan political strategist and former minister Carlos Blanco addressed the topic of Temporary Protection Statute (TPS) for Venezuelans in the United States, whose cancellation has left more than 600,000 migrants exposed to deportation.
Blanco, one of the closest advisors to opposition leader María Corina Machado, defended the cautious stance of the democratic leadership in the face of the decision of the United States, the movement’s main international ally.
“We will not use our tragedy to confront an ally”
When asked if the opposition was sacrificing the real interests of citizens abroad for diplomatic calculation, Blanco was categorical:
“The opposition, through María Corina and Edmundo González, has maintained a discreet and pragmatic management on the TPS issue. Unfortunately, we have not obtained the desired results. But that cannot lead us to try to dictate the immigration policy of the United States. We will not use our immigration tragedy to confront the main international ally that the democratic movement has,” he said in an interview with the newspaper The Country.
In this way, the strategist justified the opposition’s approach of not publicly confronting Washington over the immigration decision, prioritizing the alliance in the fight for regime change.
Freedom as the only real solution
Blanco stressed that true protection of the Venezuelan diaspora will only come with political change in the country.
“The offer that Edmundo González and María Corina have made, and for which they can respond with absolute propriety, is that Only the freedom of Venezuela will allow the true protection of the almost 9 million Venezuelan migrants that walk around the world,” he said.
Change scenario: four factors
Carlos Blanco sees a more favorable outlook for a transition in Venezuela than in previous attempts. He highlighted four key factors:
- Strengthened opposition leadership: The 2023 primary and 2024 presidential elections (although denounced as fraud) strengthened confidence in the opposition leadership.
- Active popular organization: Despite the repression, there is a popular organization that remains active, even underground.
- Intensified international support: The support of the United States is “stronger than ever”, reinforced by the military operation against drug trafficking in the Caribbean (Cartel de los Soles).
- Internal fracture of the regime: There are significant divisions both in the political sphere (former allies such as the Communist Party) and within the armed forces and police.
For Blanco, the sum of these elements is driving political change, despite the uncertainty generated by the volatility of the main ally, Donald Trump.
