The U.S. government recently announced additional assistance for Venezuela in response to the country’s regional crisis that displaced more than 7 million people to surrounding countries in search of safety and basic needs.
According to a March 17 U.S. Department of State news release, the new assistance package includes more than $140 million in humanitarian assistance as well as more than $1 million in development assistance. This is to help Venezuelans in their home country, as well as refugees, migrants and their neighboring countries hosting them.
"We are grateful for the extraordinary solidarity shown by the governments, the communities and the people that provided, and continue to provide, refuge to the Venezuelan people during this difficult time," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the release.
More than $56 million is through the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the release reported. Also, more than $115 million comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The U.S. is the largest donor to Venezuela in terms of their crisis relief efforts, according to the release. Since 2017, more than $2.8 billion has been sent to Venezuela, with more than $2.5 billion for humanitarian assistance and $387 million in development assistance.
"This assistance makes good on the Los Angeles Declaration commitment to support countries hosting large populations of displaced migrants and refugees," the release reported.
The U.S. is working to support "the most vulnerable Venezuelans with their critical needs," according to the release. It helps build upon the work being done by the host communities of 17 countries supporting them.
The U.S. is reportedly working with organizations to make sure the funds and assistance is going to the proper places and not being diverted to the Maduro regime, the release said.
According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, the new assistance package comes as the crisis in Venezuela has been escalating. Millions of people are fleeing the country to find safety and it is reportedly one of the largest displacement crises in the world. There are more than 7 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants and most are going to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.