Trump Administration Cancels Extension of “Temporary Protected Status” for Venezuelans in the U.S.
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The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has canceled the extension of “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS), which had allowed more than 600,000 Venezuelans to remain in the United States, according to The New York Times on Tuesday, citing a copy of the new decision, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Former U.S. President Joe Biden had extended TPS for these individuals by 18 months just days before Trump returned to the White House. Trump has pledged to carry out mass deportations of migrants.
According to The New York Times, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked the extension of deportation protections for Venezuelans on Tuesday.
TPS is granted to foreign nationals who cannot safely return to their home countries due to war, natural disasters, or other “extraordinary” circumstances.
Trump had previously sought to end the program during his first term but faced legal opposition.
The Biden administration expanded TPS to include more than a million people from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela, and several other countries, allowing them to stay in the U.S. legally.
On the first day of his second term, Trump issued an executive order titled “Protecting the American People from Invasion,” directing a review of all TPS designations.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of March 2024, around 1.2 million people were eligible for or had received TPS in the U.S., with the majority being Venezuelans.
Under the Homeland Security Secretary’s decision to cancel the TPS extension, she must determine by this Saturday how to handle protections for some Venezuelans set to expire in April. Otherwise, the status will be automatically renewed for six months, according to The New York Times.
During Biden’s presidency, the Department of Homeland Security had justified the TPS extension for Venezuelans due to the “severe humanitarian crisis” in their country, caused by political and economic turmoil under the “inhumane” rule of Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro was inaugurated for a third presidential term in January. The U.S. has refused to recognize his election victory and has offered a $25 million reward for his arrest on drug trafficking charges.