Washington (EFE).- The administration of United States President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, a decision that puts about 250,000 immigrants at risk of deportation as protections expire on Sep. 10.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not extend the benefit originally granted by former United States President Joe Biden in 2021.
TPS shields beneficiaries from deportation and provides them with work permits.
In a statement, DHS argued that Venezuela’s role in driving regional migration undermines the program’s justification.
“Maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively,” said Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Noem further asserted that Venezuela no longer meets the legal requirements for TPS designation and that extending protections is “contrary to the national interest.”
The announcement comes just days after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal judge’s ruling that ending TPS for nearly 600,000 Venezuelans is unlawful.
That decision covers both the 250,000 Venezuelans granted protection in 2021 and another 350,000 included in a 2023 extension.
The case, filed by the National TPS Alliance and seven Venezuelan immigrants, is being reviewed by US District Judge Edward Chen in Northern California.
The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argues that the termination would cause “irreparable harm,” including loss of jobs, family separation, detention, and deportation.
The three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit unanimously backed Chen’s earlier injunction, recognizing the “serious hardships” facing affected Venezuelans.
Judge Chen is expected to issue a new ruling in the coming days that could temporarily freeze the Trump administration’s decision.
If upheld, the DHS order would strip legal protections from both groups of Venezuelans by the fall, escalating uncertainty in one of the largest immigrant communities in the US. EFE
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