In a few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans will lose the TPS: what you should know

For almost 350,000 Venezuelans who benefit from the temporary protection status, a federal program that the Trump administration has officially finished, the time is running out. The federal government’s decision to finish deportation protections under the TPS designation of 2023 has established a high -risk date: April 2. After that date, anyone who does not have another application for active immigration in progress could lose their status and face deportation.

The new herald

The immigration situation is far from being uniform. Each case is unique, influenced by factors such as how the person originally entered the country, if he stayed longer than allowed by his visa, how long he has been in the United States and if he is already involved in a deportation process. For those who entered the country through the border between the United States and Mexico, the options against deportation are limited.

In July, the Secretary of National Security, Kristi Noem, must decide whether to extend or eliminate another TPS designation for Venezuelans made in 2021. If it does not extend, that status will end in September for another 257,000 Venezuelans, putting them at risk of deportation. Although this status has not yet been officially revoked, the cancellation of the designation of 2023 is a sign of what could happen.

Here is a general description of some of the key questions on the subject.

What is temporary protection status, or TPS?

The TPS is a federal program that grants temporary protections against deportation and work permits to people in the United States from countries in crisis. The National Security Department has the authority to designate a country for TPS. In addition to Venezuela, other countries that currently have this status are El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nicaragua and Ukraine. To qualify, people must have been in the United States before a deadline determined by DHS when the designation is announced.

Why was TPS awarded to Venezuelans?

During the administration of Biden, the Department of National Security determined that Venezuela faced a serious humanitarian crisis, noting that the country, under the regime of Nicolás Maduro, “has been experiencing a political and economic crisis, with generalized economic contraction, inflation, hyperinflation , high levels of poverty, unemployment, food and medicine shortage, and a severely weakened health system. ”

Read more in The new herald