Trump Revokes Protections for 600,000 Venezuelans

The Trump administration has reversed a decision by President Joe Biden that extended deportation protections (temporary protected status) for over 600,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S. The decision to revoke the 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which was put in place due to ongoing crisis in Venezuela, was made public on Tuesday.

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security under President Trump, announced the rollback, stating that the extension was granted too prematurely by Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary, during the final month of his term. TPS is designed to offer protection to individuals who cannot safely return to their home countries due to natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other dire conditions. The extension was expected to protect Venezuelans from deportation and provide work permits until October 2, 2026.

The decision to end the previously granted TPS extension is a significant blow to Venezuelan migrants who had hoped that their status would remain secure. It also reflects the broader pattern of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, which sought to limit protections even for migrants who had been authorized to stay under previous administrations. Critics argue that this undermines the purpose of TPS, which was originally intended to offer temporary refuge to those fleeing some of the world’s most unstable nations.

During his time in office, Trump sought to eliminate TPS protections for migrants from countries such as Haiti, El Salvador, and Sudan, though some of these efforts were blocked by federal courts.

Noem’s decision specifically takes issue with Mayorkas’ move to extend protections for Venezuelans just before the end of Biden’s term. The Homeland Security Department argues that the extension was rushed and made too soon to be justified, as it was only issued on January 17, 2021. According to an anonymous official, the Biden administration’s action appeared to be a deliberate move to limit the Trump administration’s options for handling TPS renewals.

The current TPS protections for Venezuelan citizens and nationals in the United States expires on September 10, 2025.

“Kristi Noem” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.