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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 8 May 2019

U.S. to send hospital ship to help with Venezuelan refugees

By BEN FOX can be deployed from its sembly, is the legitimate ue to be a "political tool" of lift sanctions on Gen. Man-
WASHINGTON (AP) — A homeport of Norfolk, Virgin- president under the Ven- President Nicolas Maduro. uel Figuera, the head of the
U.S. Navy hospital ship will ia, a staff of doctors, nurses ezuelan Constitution. The U.S. already has sanc- feared SEBIN intelligence
embark on another hu- and other medical staff In his speech, Pence also tions on about 150 officials agency, who broke ranks
manitarian mission to help have to be assembled. said the U.S. would extend and businesses in the coun- with the Maduro govern-
countries cope with an The Comfort's tour last fall sanctions to all 25 mem- try. ment during a failed upris-
influx of Venezuelans flee- provided medical assis- bers of the Venezuelan Su- The vice president also said ing last week and has since
ing a deep economic and tance in Colombia and preme Court if they contin- the U.S. would immediately disappeared.q

Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the 49th Washington Con-
ference on the Americas, Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at the U.S. State
Department in Washington.
Associated Press

political crisis, the Trump several other countries
administration announced where most of the Venezu-
Tuesday. elan refugees have settled
The USNS Comfort will leave to escape the crisis.
in June on a 5-month mis- Pence and other Trump ad-
sion to South America, ministration officials have
Central America and the warned that another 2 mil-
Caribbean to help coun- lion people are expected
tries "overwhelmed" by the to flee by the end of the
more than 3 million Vene- year if the crisis continues
zuelan refugees who have in the once-prosperous na-
fled in recent years, Vice tion.
President Mike Pence said. The Trump administration
"The rising desperation in has employed increasing
Venezuela has fueled a diplomatic and economic
mass exodus, the likes of measures on the govern-
which we have never seen ment of President Nicolas
in the Western Hemisphere," Maduro in hopes of per-
Pence said in a speech on suading him to step down.
the Venezuelan crisis to at The U.S. and more than 50
the Council of the Ameri- other countries say Madu-
cas annual conference. ro's re-election last year as
Acting Defense Secretary fraudulent and that Juan
Patrick Shanahan said that Guaidó, the opposition
before the USNS Comfort head of the National As-