Advocates pledge to "keep fighting" as Venezuelans face loss of deportation protections
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Venezuelan nationals could soon lose deportation protections. Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images
With many Venezuelans set to lose deportation protections and work permits, local immigration advocates are juggling both uncertainty about the future and reason to hope that courts might intervene.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's decision last week to roll back Temporary Protected Status issued in 2021 as of Sept. 10 impacts about 257,000 Venezuelans nationally, many of whom live in South Florida, per reports.
- Many TPS recipients in Miami, in particular Doral, are business owners or work in jobs that Americans "aren't eager to apply for," Adelys Ferro, executive director of the Venezuelan-American Caucus, told Axios.
- "Ninety percent of TPS beneficiaries are working in and contributing to the economy."
The latest: On Friday, a federal district court ruled that the government's decision to withdraw a separate, 2023 TPS program from Venezuelan nationals was "unlawful."
- It also sided with advocates for Haitian nationals, writing the government's arguments for removing their protected status "lack[ed] merit."
Between the lines: TPS is a federal program that allows migrants from certain countries to legally live and work in the U.S. while the conditions in their home countries are unsafe.
- The administration's decision will likely be challenged.
Catch up quick: The future of TPS has been in political and legal turmoil since the start of Trump's second term.
- In February, the administration announced an end to the 2023 program for about 350,000 Venezuelans, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arguing the country no longer met the conditions for its TPS designation — a claim many immigration advocates contested.
- In May, the Supreme Court ruled the administration could strip TPS protections. It did not weigh in on the case in which the district court issued its ruling on Friday.
What they're saying: "Maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration's efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively," an agency spokesman said in a statement regarding the 2021 program.
- "It's clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America's best interest," it read.
The other side: Immigration advocates, including Ferro, argue the situation in Venezuela remains unsafe for nationals.
- Deportations, she argued, would lead to family separation and an inability to work, as there's no economy or jobs to return to. Moreover, many fled the country seeking refuge from political persecution.
What's next: In DistrictJudge Edward Chen's Friday ruling, he wrote that it was likely the government would appeal his decision.
The bottom line: "Going back to Venezuela isn't an option," Ferro said. "We will keep fighting with every legal tool we have."