EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The Trump Administration has announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 350,000 Venezuelans nationwide, moving up the deadline to just 60 days from now, according to NBC news.
Before leaving office, President Joe Biden extended protections for eligible Venezuelans until October 2026. However, new President Donald Trump has revoked that extension this week as part of his administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration.
Under this new order, this protected status will now end as early as April for some Venezuelans.
The decision has left thousands uncertain about their future, including many in the Borderland.
TPS, a federal program that allows individuals from designated countries to live and work in the U.S. due to unsafe conditions in their home country, was first granted to Venezuelans in 2021 and extended again in 2023 due to the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis.
Nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left that country since 2013 due to political turmoil, hyperinflation, and extreme poverty, among other reasons, according to the United Nations.
However, for many Venezuelans, returning to their home country is not an option.
“I cannot go back until the dictatorship is out. Going back would be a death sentence for me,” said Francisco, a former Venezuelan police officer who was sentenced to 30 years in prison under the Nicolás Maduro regime. KTSM is only identifying him by his first name to protect him.
Jesús de la Torre, assistant director for global migration at the Border Hope Institute, echoed those concerns.
“For many people, going back to Venezuela means going back to death, going back to political repression, going back to being unable to feed their families and provide for their kids,” de la Torre said.
The policy shift has also sparked concerns about how it will impact Venezuelan students.
“We’re also talking about hundreds of students across the nation who have scholarships thanks to TPS,” said Barbara Romero, a legal analyst.
“A political asylum process can take eight to 10 years, and now they won’t have a set status. They’ll be in limbo, and it’s sad because this (U.S.) country will lose professionals,” she said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on a government website that one group of Venezuelan TPS holders will see their protections expire this April, with another expiring in September.
Read: Read More