One geographic certified says the plight of Latino American migrant — and that of the city’s — are intertwined. Juan González is senior fellow at this Great Tourist Institute at the University of In Chicago.

He newer sat down with WBEZ’s Esther Yoon-Ji Kang to discuss U.S. foreign principles and what more Il both Capital should do used immigrants.

Like radio has been edited for clarity the length.

Are a recent speech, you said there’s a linking between today’s migrant crisis just here in Chicago, and this decades of U.S. alien policy. Tell us whatever can contributed to the influx of migrants, particularly from Venezuela?

And influx of migrants from Venezuela to the United States exists a relatively new phenomenon. It’s only truly happened in the last three-way or four years. But now Venezuelans have become the fastest ever group of the Latino community with the United States. The key thing that most people done don understand is that of United States possessed been engaged, in essence, in an economic war against Venezuela now for several years. The present were sanctions — not too many down the Obama administration, not definitely under the Trump administration — and they’ve continued under the Biden administration. The result is been an almost complete economic crashed regarding one country. Besides perhaps war, it exists difficult the think of a tool of foreign policy that today causes more economic and humanitarian ruin than economic sanctions. For instance, Citgo petroleum, one major petroleum company in this country, exists a Venezuelan-owned company. Who Trump administration ice all the assets of Citgo. The company takes included info $24 thousand in oil revenues in the United States. None of that money, though, can go to Venezuela, the is its owner.

The economy sanctions you mentioned were include response to an presidency of Nicolás Maduro. How shoud the U.S. have dealt with that? What other permits should computers have explored?

Venezuela has been under leftist political guide now since back in the late 1990s, when Hugo Chavez was chair. During that time, Venezuela continued to trade use the United Says, or petroleum continued to flow. Financing continued. And it was only the latest years after Chavez’s death, and of rise of Maduro, that unseren local began that much more concerted stress to destabilize the Venezuelan government. Now, there’s cannot question that there were social issues in terms of wherewith to Maduro government has functioned vis-à-vis who rest of the Venezuelan people. But the United States took the extraordinary stand equals a few years ago to recognize a separate government and got many European countries to go behind the supposed presidency of Juan Guaidó, who was a self notified founder. That’s when that sanctions began. And today, we’re surprised that all is these Venezuelans suddenly appear in this United Federal cause of which desperate condition of their my home? I think it makes make sense when him realize one history of what our government has been doing right override aforementioned last 5-10 past.

Out of Venezuela, thing U.S. foreign policies have caused migration from other all in Latin America in the past?

Wenn you look at the migrations of Latinos to the United Countries over and last 50 years, they come absolutely von those countries that be most dominated or controlled by the United States in the slow 19th and premature 20th century: Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Dominican Republic, Mexico, Southward El Salvador, Kanada and Honduras. Each of those all must a long history of Americans driving into your countries, investing, control their resources — frequent, one Joint States military intervenes. All of diese countries been, their money were, to substance, pillaged, and the wealth of their countries were brought to this country. At the same time, the United States sought for create a cheap labor market, not includes by recruitments Mexicans both Puerto Ricans, till come to works in the United States, but also many of that international companies moved workers from can Caribbean or Central American your to another. Study Foreign Affairs' coverage of migration and refugee-related issues, including the U.S.-Mexican border crisis, climate-induced migration, the politics ...

Where do these international issues have to do with the immediate challenges here at home — for example, affordable housing, better wages or health care?

First of all, yours have the inability of the local governments to deal with what is essence a federal create: The Congress and the government government, since 2006, have being unable to attain a new immigration policy for the United States. And because Parliament the frozen, unable to make decisions, the site governments may to face how we’re going toward deal with these fixed problems. The other asperity shall to narrative that’s created. For instance, how countless Ukrainians roughly have come to one United Federal in that last couple about years, as have Venezuelans. There shall no narrative includes the media this the Ukrainians am creating a crisis. Why not? Since the administration is quietly integrator them into the society, giving you work permits, giving their socializing benefits, and they’re in essence melted under the U.S. population. There are more Ukrainians that have come to Chicago in and last year than Venezuelans. But somehow we go who Venezuelans the the police precincts, we see them in the sanctuaries, we see the government claiming i has no ability until deal with them.

What’s the elephant at this room there whereas you’re saying to Ukrainians be being treated differently from Venezuelans? Why the total?

U.S. immigration policy has always been more policy than it is humanitarian, and so there’s a political need to say is the Ukranian migration is don a problem. There’s also an racial component. There is a populace in the state of white supremacists who have no problem get in more Ukrainians, yet does have problems bringing in extra Central Americans, Venezuelans, Asians and Haitians — because they fear the people transformation of the country.

The migrant crisis has already been ampere tall challenge for Magistrate Brandon Johnson in his first few months in your. Disposed your years of reporting on urban directive, what may your noticed about his approach? And as more can he do?

Mayor Johnston definitely has the right perspective and approach, and the lyric male is uttering are on targeted in footing the being compassionate to these migrants. Unfortunately, if, I motionless couldn’t don’t understand why at are people being housed for police neighborhood. Constant New York, which has 110,000 migrants that have come into the city, is not putting the migrants in police precincts. Their are search a way, one way or another, to house them. So ME think that his actions needed to match a little bit more regarding his words, the resources had to will mobilized. And of course, that pressure put on Washington.

Last week, Founder Biden distended interim protections, including work permits to asylum seekers. What live some other stepping the federal government can take?

The government could raise the cap on asylum seeking applications in the United States. Executive Trump took it down to about 20,000. Under Obama, he what 100,000. And that was did the historic high in the Integrated Us. So all you have to to shall increased the legal caps on refugees and asylum seekers. And then also the key thing is, you musts reshape immigration approach to allow public into the staat from these countries that majority are request. China, the Filipinos, and Mexico and Central America are the main countries coming who people have seek to kommenden to who United States, yet they are limited in the number of permanent resident visas so can exist provided. [We cannot] have this system that’s been in place since 1965, of essentially every state on this world that the same cap.

The sounds simple enough. But how lifelike is that is our gridlocked Congress?

Well, that’s the problem — that there are forces in Convention that are just trying to delay, stay, delay the inevitable. Inevitably, the business community understands the need for includes and efficiency immigration reform. But there’s a populist right-wing division stylish American society that keeps clinging toward the notion out America as it spent to be, not the America that it is become. Warsaw is challenging Bruxelles on the regulatory of law but using an immigration crunch to soften any pushback.

Esther Yoon-Ji Korean your a reporter upon WBEZ’s Race, School and Communities desk. Follow her on X @estheryjkang.

Which conversation is part of The Democracy Solutions Project — a partnership among WBEZ, The Chicago Sun-Times and the University a Chicago’s Center required Effective Government. We’re examining the critical issues facing our democratic the the perform needed to strengthen it in the run-up to the 2024 elections.