In a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday the termination of deportation protections for nearly 348,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
This move, part of former President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown, means thousands could face deportation and lose their work permits as early as April, according to Reuters.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited ”notable improvements” in Venezuela’s economy, public health, and crime rates as reasons for ending the protections. However, many Venezuelan families in the U.S. are devastated, fearing for their future.
”I don’t know what will happen,” Ana Maria Pirela, a 26-year-old Venezuelan migrant with temporary protected status, told Reuters.
”Yesterday they fired my husband from his job — he had been managing a food store for two months — and I’m two months pregnant. I don’t want to go back to Venezuela.”
Venezuelan activist Beatriz Olavarriat has warned that revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 350,000 Venezuelans within 60 days could have devastating consequences. For some, returning to Venezuela could be life-threatening, while others may face imprisonment.
“Some of those people that are here, that have spoken about the situation in Venezuela on cameras and everywhere, they set foot in Venezuela and they will be jailed,” Olavarria told NBC6 South Florida.
A reversal of Biden-era policies
Former President Joe Biden had expanded TPS, offering protection to over 1 million people from 17 nations, including Venezuelans who fled political and economic turmoil.
Many arrived through legal humanitarian pathways during his administration. Deporting them has been challenging due to strained U.S.-Venezuela relations.
But under Trump’s renewed immigration agenda, Kristi Noem canceled an 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuelans last week and ended automatic six-month renewals on Monday. While around 300,000 Venezuelans still have TPS valid until September, their future remains uncertain.
”Yesterday ICE took a friend and her husband. There’s anguish,” shared Tatiana Vazques, a Venezuelan migrant in Atlanta.
Her family applied for U.S. asylum but lives in constant fear after witnessing recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests.
What’s next?
Trump’s administration is also eyeing an end to another Biden-era program that allowed around 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans with U.S. sponsors to live and work legally in the country. This decision could come within weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Meanwhile, Venezuela remains plagued by economic hardship. Despite President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to control inflation, the monthly minimum wage sits at just $3. Maduro — who began his third term amid election disputes and ongoing U.S. charges of drug trafficking, which he denies — continues to face opposition both at home and abroad. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 7.7 million people have left Venezuela since the political and economic crisis intensified under Nicolás Maduro’s leadership and the continued influence of Chavismo.
The Venezuelan opposition has urged the U.S. to maintain TPS, highlighting the harsh realities migrants would face if forced to return.
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