Venezuela

Trump administration ends TPS for nearly 300,000 Venezuelans: Report

Those who received the protections in 2023 will lose their temporary status 60 days after the government publishes the termination notice, the report said

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According to government documents obtained by The New York Times, the Trump administration has ended TPS for nearly 300,000 Venezuelans. 

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status face an uncertain future.

According to government documents obtained by The New York Times, the Trump administration has ended TPS for nearly 300,000 Venezuelans. 

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Those who received the protections in 2023 will lose their temporary status 60 days after the government publishes the termination notice, the report said. 

Venezuelan activist Beatriz Olavarria says members of the community are shocked and trying to figure out next steps. 

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"There's a lot of people trying to see what to do because returning would be almost suicidal in a way because some of those people that are here that have spoken about the situation in Venezuela on cameras and everywhere, they set foot in Venezuela and they will be jailed," said Olavarria.

According to Congressional Research Service, Florida has the largest number of TPS beneficiaries out of any state. Venezuelans are the largest group of TPS recipients. 

Trump administration revokes TPS extension for 600,000 Venezuelans in U.S.
“We are going to follow the process, evaluate all of these individuals that are in our country, including the Venezuelans that are here and members of Tren de Aragua,” said the secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Fox News.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem spoke briefly about the issue on Meet the Press Sunday.

"The TPS program has been abused and it doesn't have integrity right now and folks from Venezuela that have come into this country are members of TDA," Noem said.

TDA refers to Tren de Aragua, a violent gang from the South American nation.

"We are not all Tren de Aragua," Olavarria said. "And we are not all criminals. The minority, a very small percent are those."

One group of Venezuelan TPS holders will see their protections expire this April and another possibly in September of this year.

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