Washington According to an unpublished Federal Register document that States Newsroom was able to get, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revoked the continuation of temporary protection status for around 600,000 Venezuelans late Tuesday.
The judgment was initially reported by the New York Times.
The 18-month protections of temporary protected status were revoked by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday to be the agency’s head. Because of war, natural disasters, or other unstable circumstances, a nation covered by TPS is considered too dangerous to return to.
This means that over 600,000 Venezuelans whose TPS status was extended until October 2026 as a result of former President Joe Biden’s last-minute move would have that extension revoked. It occurs at a time when President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to conduct widely reported immigration enforcement operations in American communities.
The president has declared that his administration will deport large numbers of undocumented individuals as well as immigrants who were admitted into the nation through other legal channels created during the Biden administration, including as the extension of TPS for Venezuelans.
The document states that the decision to cancel the renewal takes effect immediately.
These citizens have migrated to the United States in recent years due to the instability of the Venezuelan government; TPS was designated in 2021 and redesigned in 2023, establishing two distinct application procedures for individuals from the same nation.
The letter states that protections for Venezuelans who were granted TPS status in 2023 will last until April 2 and that Noem will have until Saturday to decide whether to extend protections.
According to the letter, Venezuelan nationals who were granted TPS status in 2021 would remain protected until September 10 and Noem will have until July 12 to decide whether to renew the designation.
As justification for rescinding the extension, Noem contended in the memo that Alejandro Mayorkas, the former DHS Secretary, decided to extend TPS for Venezuela too soon.
There will probably be legal challenges to the move. In 2018, the courts stopped DHS’s attempts to terminate TPS for Haiti, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Sudan during the first Trump administration.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, claimed in a statement that DHS lacked the legal right to cancel the TPS extension for Venezuela.
“This TPS extension is cruel, misinformed, and illegal, and the Trump administration does not have the authority to revoke it,” she stated.
During her confirmation hearing, Noem expressed her disapproval of the Biden administration’s choice to extend TPS to Venezuelan immigrants. She suggested such nations should have their designation reevaluated and questioned the TPS program.
During her confirmation hearing, Noem stated that the Biden administration will no longer be permitted to abuse and exploit this program.
Afghanistan, Burma, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen are among the 17 nations that presently hold TPS status.
