Yesterday, John Barsa, the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, announced a new program to help Venezuelans who have fled oppression and despotism in their country to find economic opportunities in the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Including this announcement, the United States has provided more than $656 million in humanitarian and development assistance since Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 -- including nearly $42 million in Brazil alone -- to help Venezuelans both inside their home country and in 16 neighboring nations.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) will implement the U.S.-funded Economic Integration of Vulnerable Nationals from Venezuela in Brazil Program. In the Federal District and the States of Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina, the IOM will focus on providing Venezuelans in Brazil with access to sustainable livelihoods and employment opportunities, through interventions such as vocational education, Portuguese-language training, and job-placement activities. The program will also complement the Government of Brazil's broader interiorization approach, which is helping vulnerable Venezuelans move from the border region to reunite across the country and find longer-term opportunities for social and economic integration in Brazil.

The United States appreciates the generosity of the Government of President Jair Bolsonaro and the Brazilian people as they have hosted tens of thousands of Venezuelan refugees who have escaped the regime-driven political and economic crisis chaos in their home country.

The United States remains unwavering in its commitment to the people of Venezuela, Interim President Juan Guaidó, and the Venezuelan National Assembly as they fight for the full return of citizen-responsive democracy and the rule of law in their homeland through free and fair elections. Through their work, and the support of the international community, Interim President Guaidó and the National Assembly will re-establish the peace and prosperity the people of Venezuela so rightly deserve.