Trump administration cancels temporary protected status for Venezuelans

The Donald Trump administration has decided to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants in the US. This decision leaves them vulnerable to potential deportation in the coming months.

According to The New York Times, the administration's move is part of Trump's broader immigration policy aimed at tightening migration controls. This is not the first time protection for migrants has been rescinded: Trump previously attempted to strip this status from citizens of Sudan, El Salvador and Haiti. The new measure demonstrates the president's intention to continue pressuring migration programmes.

Previously, when protection for migrants from El Salvador and Haiti was rescinded, authorities granted them a certain period to adjust — ranging from 12 to 18 months. In the case of Venezuelans, the decision was made more swiftly. Those who received TPS status in 2023 will lose it 50 days after official notification.

Critics of the programme, including some Republicans, argue that TPS has been misused, evolving from a temporary measure into a long-term solution for migrants, which violated the intended duration of stay.

To date, more than 300,000 Venezuelans held TPS, which expires in April. An additional 250,000 people remained under protection until September, and they, like other migrants with this status, may now be at risk.

The TPS programme was established to protect migrants who cannot return to their home countries due to natural disasters or armed conflicts. In the case of Venezuela, mass migration began in response to the deteriorating situation in the country under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro, whose government was collapsing, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to seek refuge abroad.

The Biden administration had long resisted deporting Venezuelans, as Venezuelan authorities refused to accept returned citizens. However, the situation has changed recently. Donald Trump stated on social media that the Venezuelan government had agreed to return all illegal migrants, including members of the criminal gang Tren de Aragua, and to provide transport for their deportation.

The TPS programme has expanded significantly in recent years, and according to the Congressional Research Service, more than one million people held its status at the end of last year.

Thus, given the latest changes, more than 300,000 Venezuelans may become vulnerable to deportation, which is part of the Trump administration's broader policy aimed at reducing the number of migrants in the US.