DHS ends legal status for thousands more Venezuelans in U.S.

More than a quarter of a million Venezuelans in the United States will lose the ability to work legally and may face deportation in about 60 days. The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it was ending temporary protected status for Venezuelans. The designation was no longer in the United States’ best interest, and conditions in Venezuela had improved, the department said. Venezuelans who deport themselves voluntarily through the CBP Home app would receive a free plane ticket and $1,000, according to DHS.

Temporary protected status allows individuals to stay and work in the United States if return to their home countries is deemed unsafe. The program terminated Tuesday, which began in 2021, had inappropriately become a de facto asylum and permanent residency system, according to DHS. The department earlier this year ended a similar 2023 status that covered hundreds of thousands of additional Venezuelans. However, a federal appeals court last week postponed TPS cancellations for Venezuelans until a final decision is made in a lawsuit over the matter.

Christian humanitarian organization World Relief decried the decision in a Wednesday statement emailed to WORLD. Venezuela’s government is still as autocratic and oppressive as it was in 2021, the organization said.

The government in March extended temporary protected status for refugees from Myanmar due to widespread violence in that country. It ended protections for Afghans earlier this year.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on the recent deployment of U.S. aircraft to Venezuela amid escalating tensions between the two countries.