The Trump administration will end the temporary protection status designation assigned to as many as 256,000 Venezuelans, paving the way for their deportation.
Former president Joe Biden issued two TPS orders for Venezuelans, the first in 2021 and a second in 2023, providing eligible migrants with work authorization and temporary protection from deportation.
It is generally available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event - but Trump has ruled Venezuela no longer meets those requirements.
'Weighing public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it's clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America's best interest,' a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.
'Given Venezuela's substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration's efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively.'
The TPS designation will expire on September 10, giving the more than 256,000 Venezuelans living in the United States under TPS status just seven days to begin arrangements to leave the country.
However, 'the termination will come into effect 60 days after the publication of the Federal Register notice,' DHS said.
