The Trump administration has revealed plans to remove the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 256,000 Venezuelans who were allowed to stay under Biden’s orders. This decision clears the way for their possible deportation.
When he was president, Joe Biden approved two TPS programs for Venezuelans — one in 2021 and another in 2023. These programs gave qualified migrants the right to work and temporary protection from being deported.
TPS is usually given to people from countries affected by war, natural disasters, or serious crises. But Trump’s team has now said Venezuela no longer fits those conditions.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the decision was made after considering public safety, national security, immigration policy, the economy, and foreign relations. A DHS spokesperson explained that keeping Venezuelans under TPS is “not in America’s best interest.”
The spokesperson also said that Venezuela has played a major role in increasing irregular migration. They claimed that allowing TPS encourages more migrants to come, which conflicts with Trump’s border security goals.
The TPS status is set to end on September 10. This means the more than 256,000 Venezuelans currently protected will have only seven days to start preparing to leave the country.
However, DHS clarified that the termination will officially take effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
Alongside the 256,000 affected Venezuelans, DHS confirmed that 3,728 new TPS applications will be cancelled, and more than 102,000 renewal applications will also be denied.
Trump first pushed to end TPS for Venezuelans in February, just weeks after returning to office. At that time, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem argued that Venezuelans’ presence in the U.S. went against the national interest.
A California judge later blocked Noem’s action, calling it unconstitutional and based on unfair stereotypes. But the U.S. Supreme Court eventually gave approval for the federal government to move forward with the deportations.
