The termination of deportation protections for approximately 348,000 Venezuelans in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was announced Monday by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, marking a dramatic change in U.S. immigration policy.
According to Reuters, this action, which is a component of former President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown, could result in thousands of people losing their work permits and being deported as early as April.
In order to terminate the protections, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pointed to “notable improvements” in Venezuela’s public health, crime rates, and economy. But many Venezuelan families in the United States are inconsolable and worried about what lies ahead.
Venezuelan migrant Ana Maria Pirela, 26, who has temporary protected status, told Reuters, “I don’t know what will happen.”
I’m two months pregnant, and my husband, who had been running a grocery store for two months, was fired from his job yesterday. I’m not interested in returning to Venezuela.
Removing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for almost 350,000 Venezuelans within 60 days could have disastrous repercussions, according to Venezuelan activist Beatriz Olavarriat. It might be fatal for some to return to Venezuela, while others might be imprisoned.
Olavarria told NBC6 South Florida that some of the individuals present who have discussed the situation in Venezuela on television and other platforms will be imprisoned if they enter the country.
Biden-era policies being reversed
In order to provide protection to more than 1 million individuals from 17 countries, including Venezuelans who had fled political and economic unrest, former President Joe Biden extended TPS.
During his administration, a large number arrived via authorized humanitarian routes. The tense relations between the United States and Venezuela have made deporting them difficult.
However, as part of Trump’s updated immigration agenda, Kristi Noem terminated automatic six-month renewals of TPS on Monday and canceled an 18-month extension for Venezuelans last week. The future of the approximately 300,000 Venezuelans whose TPS is still valid through September is still up in the air.
“ICE picked up a friend and her spouse yesterday. A Venezuelan immigrant in Atlanta named Tatiana Vazques shared, “There’s anguish.”
Her family applied for asylum in the United States, but they are constantly afraid because of recent arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Next up?
The Trump administration is also considering ending another Biden-era program that permitted approximately 530,000 Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans with U.S. sponsors to reside and work lawfully in the nation. Sources with knowledge of the situation say this decision may be made in a matter of weeks.
In the meantime, Venezuela continues to face economic difficulties. Even with President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to keep inflation under control, the minimum wage remains at $3 per month. Maduro, who started his third term in the midst of election-related problems and ongoing drug trafficking accusations from the United States, which he refutes, is still facing criticism at home and abroad. Since Nicolás Maduro’s leadership and the ongoing influence of Chavismo exacerbated Venezuela’s political and economic crisis, more than 7.7 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Because of the harsh realities that migrants would encounter if they were forced to return, the Venezuelan opposition has called on the United States to keep TPS in place.
