The Trump administration has announced the revocation of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to over 300,000 Venezuelan nationals residing in the United States, with enforcement set to begin within 60 days, according to reports from The New York Times.
This measure removes the legal safeguards that had protected this community from deportation, marking a significant departure from previous policies.
Unlike past TPS terminations, which provided a transitional period of 12 to 18 months, Venezuelans currently benefiting from the program will see their status revoked within just 60 days following the official announcement, The New York Times reports.
As a result, thousands of individuals will suddenly find themselves undocumented, significantly increasing their risk of deportation.
Currently, an additional 250,000 Venezuelans benefit from TPS protections until September. Although they are not immediately affected, the recent government decision raises concerns that their status could also be at risk, The New York Times notes.
The TPS program was originally designed for migrants fleeing conflicts or natural disasters, offering them temporary protection in the United States. In recent years, Venezuelans escaping economic and political turmoil under President Nicolás Maduro have been eligible for this program.
Under the Biden administration, TPS saw substantial expansion, covering more than a million recipients by the end of last year (The New York Times). In January, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas extended TPS for Venezuelan nationals for an additional 18 months, citing persistent critical conditions in their home country. The administration relied on a report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which described the situation in Venezuela as a “complex, deep, and multidimensional humanitarian crisis,” as reported by The New York Times.
However, in a major policy shift, the new Secretary of Homeland Security under Trump, Kristi Noem, rescinded this extension, asserting that TPS protections were no longer justified and ran counter to U.S. national interests.
The elimination of TPS for Venezuelans aligns with Trump’s broader immigration restriction strategy, as he pledged to ramp up deportations. This decision means a substantial number of migrants will lose their work permits and legal protections, making them more vulnerable to detention and removal.
Immigrant rights organizations are expected to challenge this decision in court, arguing that it endangers the lives of those who cannot safely return to Venezuela. Similar TPS revocations during Trump’s first term, including for nationals from El Salvador, Sudan, and Haiti, faced legal challenges that delayed their implementation due to opposition from federal courts.
With this move, the Trump administration has signaled its intent to dismantle immigration programs established under Biden, raising concerns among advocacy groups and legal experts about the future of other temporary protection measures.
(Source: The New York Times, reported by Hamed Aleaziz and Maggie Haberman).