US President Donald Trump ends protected status for Venezuelan migrants.
Image: Kevin Lamarque / AFP
The Trump administration has revoked an extension of "temporary protected status" for more than 600,000 Venezuelans that allowed them to remain in the United States, the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing a copy of the decision.
Former president Joe Biden had extended their TPS for another 18 months just days before Donald Trump returned to the White House pledging to carry out a mass deportation of migrants.
Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Tuesday revoked the extension of their deportation protections, The New York Times said.
TPS is granted to foreign citizens who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters or other "extraordinary" conditions.
Trump sought to end the program during his first term but was stymied by legal opposition.
Biden's administration had expanded TPS to cover more than a million people from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela and other selected nations to allow them to remain legally in the United States.
On day one of his second term, Trump ordered a review of TPS designations via an executive order titled "Protecting the American People Against Invasion."
According to the Pew Research Center, as of March 2024 there were 1.2 million people eligible for or receiving TPS in the United States, with Venezuelans making up the largest group.
Noem's revocation of the TPS extension requires her to make a decision by Saturday on what to do with protections expiring in April for some of the Venezuelans, or they will be automatically renewed for six months, the Times reported.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Under Biden, the department said TPS for the Venezuelans was being extended because of the "severe humanitarian emergency the country continues to face due to political and economic crises under the inhumane Maduro regime."
Nicolas Maduro was sworn into office in January for a third term as Venezuela's president.
The United States does not recognise his election victory and has offered a $25 million reward for his arrest over narco-trafficking charges.
AFP