In contrast, the United States had a relatively small Venezuelan population until recently, with the result that Venezuelan asylum seekers are often on their own. But with Venezuelan asylum seekers, the rightwing rhetoric runs into an obvious contradiction. The conservative rationale for opposing Venezuelan asylum seekers is a claim they are really just “economic migrants,” as the immigration-restrictionist Center for Immigration Studies puts it. In fact, many or most asylum seekers have a mix of reasons for coming here. If Venezuelans are coming here just to escape economic problems at home, reducing the embargo should bring about a major decline in Venezuelan asylum seekers.