The United States has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela for an additional 18 months, shielding Venezuelans residing in the US as of early March 2021 from potential deportation.
In a statement on Monday, US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that Venezuelans in the country as of March 8 last year would be eligible to apply.
Majorkas said the move was “one of many ways the Biden administration is providing humanitarian support to Venezuelans at home and abroad”.
TPS is a designation that allows the US government to shield foreign nationals already in the country from deportation when it is deemed not safe for them to return to their home countries due to armed conflict, natural disaster or other temporary conditions.
Venezuela is experiencing a widespread refugee crisis, as escalating violence, a lack of access to basic goods, including food and medicine, and political uncertainty have pushed more than six million people to flee the country, according to the United Nations.
Last month, thousands of migrants – mostly from Central America and Venezuela – set off on foot from southern Mexico towards the US border in search of asylum.
But Monday’s DHS order does not re-designate TPS for Venezuela, meaning that those who have come to the US since March 8, 2021, will not be eligible, drawing criticism from migration advocates.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, said on Twitter that this means “none of the 150,000+ Venezuelans who entered since then will qualify”.
Immigration rights groups and some US legislators, including members of President Joe Biden’s own Democratic Party, had called on the administration to re-designate Venezuela to widen the scope of the protections.
In a statement on Monday, FWD.us, a progressive advocacy group, said that they were “disappointed” with the decision to extend but not re-designate TPS for Venezuela.
“Instead, these community members will now be at risk of being deported to a country in chaos where they continue to face unsafe conditions,” the organisation said. “Placing them at extreme risk of violence and even death.”
The 18-month extension will begin on September 10, 2022, and expire on March 10, 2024.
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