from WNYC Studios. I'm Brian Lerer. This is my daily politics podcast. It's Wednesday,

January 7th. Ironically, last year when Maduro was still in charge, the Trump administration,

wanting recent asylum seekers to leave, said it had already become safe enough to return to Venezuela, and he revoked their temporary protected immigration status.

Now, the administration is saying it again for the new context, no Maduro, no problem.

Here is Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs,

Tricia McLaughlin, on Fox News.

The great news for those who are here from Venezuela on temporary protected status

is that they can now go home with hope for their country,

a country that they love, that there's going to be peace,

prosperity, and stability. Well, how much is that true? Let's talk. Joining us is Hesela Salim Pire,

associate editor at the Atlantic and a native of Venezuela, who's been reporting closely and

deeply on the situation in that country, including the opposition movement and the

country's relationship with the United States. Hecela, thank you so much for some time today.

Welcome to WNYC. Thank you so much for having me. I played the clip introducing the segment

of a Trump administration official saying, it's now safe to go home.

And I mentioned that even last year, well before they removed Maduro last week,

the Trump administration was saying, things have improved in Venezuela.

All you Venezuelan migrants who came in the last few years, it's safe to go home now. Obviously, the Trump

administration is trying to get so many Latin American migrants and even other migrants

to leave the country. And now they're saying it again with the removal of Maduro. Can you reflect on any of the reality of that either last year,

whether things were actually becoming safe enough again in Venezuela for any reason

that it was appropriate to remove on mass the temporary protected status that had been offered to Venezuelans because of Maduro's rule,

...