Approximately 45 Venezuelan employees working at Disney World were informed they would be placed on unpaid leave following a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to revoke their Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
According to reports by Bloomberg and cited by Latin Times, the affected employees received an email on May 20 notifying them of a 30-day unpaid leave period, while maintaining certain benefits. At the end of this period, those unable to present valid work authorization will have their contracts terminated.
“Pending legal clarifications, we have placed affected employees on leave, with benefits, to avoid any violations of current legislation,” states an excerpt from the email quoted by Bloomberg.
Among the testimonies gathered, an employee at a Disney hotel complex reported being denied entry to their workplace the day after receiving the notification.
The Supreme Court decision, made public on Monday, May 20, overturns a lower court ruling that had been upheld by the appeals court. The California district judge had ruled that the Secretary of Homeland Security lacked the authority and right to cancel the previous administration’s measure that had extended TPS protection for Venezuelan nationals. In response to an emergency request from the Trump government, the nation’s highest court determined that the extension decided by the previous administration encroached upon federal executive prerogatives.
Current Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, has defended the termination of TPS for Venezuelans, stating that the decision aligns with national interests. Meanwhile, Attorney General John Sauer has criticized Federal Judge Edward Chen’s injunction, which temporarily blocked the status revocation in March, arguing that it could cause “irreparable” harm to hundreds of thousands of individuals while threatening significant economic losses for the United States.
TPS (Temporary Protected Status) provides protection from deportation and work authorization to migrants from countries experiencing major humanitarian crises, such as wars or natural disasters. In 2021, the Biden administration had granted this status to Venezuelans due to political repression, economic collapse, and civil unrest under Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
The current decision has caused profound distress within the Venezuelan community in the United States—particularly among those who had expressed support for President Trump during recent elections.
Immigration attorneys and specialists have attempted to ease concerns by stating that the majority of Venezuelan TPS holders had already applied for asylum, which is presented as a lifeline for over 300,000 Venezuelans. In just over three months, the TPS for Haitian nationals is set to expire, as the Trump administration decided to reduce the coverage period by six months. In June, the federal government is expected to officially announce whether it plans to renew TPS for Haitians. This renewal appears highly unlikely, given that President Trump has already declared his intention to terminate TPS for Haitians, of whom more than 500,000 are currently protected under this legal provision, which has been in effect since 1990 during George H. Bush’s administration.
Sources: Latin Times, Bloomberg, United States Supreme Court, United States Department of Homeland Security.
