Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated Monday that over 348,000 Venezuelans living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will no longer be protected from deportation, marking a dramatic change in U.S. immigration policy.
According to Reuters, thousands could be deported and have their work permits revoked as early as April as a result of this action, which is a component of former President Donald Trump’s increased immigration enforcement.
The protections were terminated due to “notable improvements” in Venezuela’s economy, public health, and crime statistics, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Many Venezuelan families in the United States, however, are inconsolable and worried about their future.
Ana Maria Pirela, a 26-year-old Venezuelan immigrant with temporary protected status, told Reuters, “I don’t know what will happen.”
My husband, who had been running a grocery store for two months, was fired from his job yesterday, and I am two months pregnant. I have no desire to return to Venezuela.
Beatriz Olavarriat, an activist from Venezuela, has cautioned that removing around 350,000 Venezuelans’ Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in less than 60 days might have disastrous repercussions. Some may be imprisoned, while others may face the possibility of losing their lives if they return to Venezuela.
Olavarria told NBC6 South Florida, “Some of those people who are here, who have spoken about the situation in Venezuela on cameras and everywhere, they set foot in Venezuela and they will be jailed.”
Reversing the policies of the Biden period
TPS was extended by former President Joe Biden, providing protection to more over 1 million individuals from 17 countries, including Venezuelans who had fled political and economic unrest.
During his rule, many came via lawful humanitarian routes. Because of the tense relations between the United States and Venezuela, deporting them has proven difficult.
However, Kristi Noem terminated automatic six-month renewals of TPS on Monday and canceled an 18-month extension for Venezuelans last week as part of Trump’s redesigned immigration policy. Even if the TPS for almost 300,000 Venezuelans is still good until September, their future is still up in the air.
A buddy and her spouse were taken by ICE yesterday. “There is suffering,” said Tatiana Vazques, an Atlanta-based Venezuelan immigrant.
After seeing recent arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), her family asked for asylum in the United States but now lives in constant fear.
What comes next?
Another Biden-era program that permitted about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans with U.S. sponsors to reside and work lawfully in the US is also being targeted for termination by Trump’s government. According to those with knowledge of the situation, this decision might be made in a few weeks.
In the meantime, Venezuela’s economy continues to suffer. The minimum wage is only $3 per month, despite President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to keep inflation under control. Maduro is still facing criticism at home and abroad. He started his third term in the midst of election-related issues and continuous drug trafficking accusations from the United States, which he rejects. Over 7.7 million people have fled Venezuela as the political and economic crises worsened under Nicolás Maduro’s leadership and the ongoing influence of Chavismo, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
By emphasizing the harsh circumstances migrants would suffer if forced to return, the Venezuelan opposition has encouraged the United States to maintain TPS.