President Donald J. Trump is endng the “temporary protected status” (TPS) granted to numerous Venezuelan migrants residing in the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the revocation of these deportation protections on Tuesday, impacting more than 600,000 Venezuelan nationals.
Former President Joe Biden initially extended TPS for Venezuelans for an additional 18 months shortly before Trump assumed office on January 20. TPS is a designation that allows foreign citizens to remain in the U.S. when conditions in their home country, such as ongoing armed conflict or environmental disasters, prevent a safe return. Still, its extension to Venezuelans has been controversial in light of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang’s rapid growth in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Trump issued an executive order titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” that ordered a review of current TPS designations shortly after being inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States—putting into motion the reversal of the TPS designations. Under the Biden government, TPS designations were granted to citizens of several countries, including El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, and Venezuela.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justified these protections for Venezuelans by citing an ongoing severe humanitarian crisis. They referred to the political and economic situations under Nicolás Maduro’s government as inhumane.