Trump Administration Ends Protections for Venezuelans, Putting Thousands at Risk of Deportation

By Anastasios Gordon Sekandi – updated at 01:12 EAT Monday 03 February 2025

HICGI – The Trump administration has officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 300,000 Venezuelans in the United States, leaving them at risk of deportation in the coming months, according to government documents obtained by The New York Times.

This move—the first of President Trump’s second term to revoke such protections—signals a renewed crackdown on the TPS program, continuing his efforts from his first administration. Previously, Trump attempted to terminate TPS for migrants from Sudan, El Salvador, and Haiti, but was blocked by federal courts that objected to the process used to dismantle the protections.

The decision is part of a broader series of Trump administration actions aimed at restricting immigration, including suspending programs that once allowed migrants to enter through previously legal pathways and freezing the refugee system.

When the first Trump administration ended TPS for migrants from El Salvador and Haiti, officials allowed affected individuals to retain their status for 12 to 18 months before termination. It remains unclear whether similar transition measures will be implemented for Venezuelans now facing uncertainty.

This time, the administration has opted for a more immediate rollback. Venezuelans who received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2023 will lose their protections just 60 days after the government publishes its termination notice.

Republican critics argue that TPS has evolved from a temporary safeguard into a de facto permanent residency for many migrants. Vice President J.D. Vance echoed this sentiment in October, hinting at a tougher approach.

“We’re going to stop doing mass grants of Temporary Protected Status,” he said at the time.

According to the notice, more than 300,000 Venezuelans had TPS protections through April. Another group of over 250,000 remains covered until September, but for now, they are unaffected. However, the decision signals that they—and others currently under TPS—could be at risk of losing their status in the future.

Immigrant rights advocates swiftly condemned the move.

“The Trump administration’s attempt to undo the Biden administration’s TPS extension is plainly illegal,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. “The TPS statute makes clear that terminations can only occur at the end of an extension; it does not permit do-overs.”

The termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans further increases the number of individuals in the U.S. without formal immigration status, as President Trump pushes forward with his mass deportation agenda. The decision is expected to face legal challenges from immigrant rights advocates, who have long anticipated such a move.

TPS is designed to protect migrants who cannot safely return to their home countries due to ongoing conflicts or natural disasters. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country as President Nicolás Maduro’s government has collapsed. The Biden administration struggled to deport Venezuelan migrants, as the Maduro regime previously refused to accept deportation flights.

However, on Saturday, Trump claimed on social media that Venezuela had reversed its stance.

“Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua,” he wrote. “Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back. We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back.”

Officials in Caracas have yet to publicly confirm such an arrangement.

The TPS program has expanded significantly in recent years. As of late last year, more than one million people held the status, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Trump has made it clear he intends to reverse course on Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This weekend’s decision, authorized by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, stated that TPS for Venezuelans was no longer justified because it did not serve the national interest, according to a notice obtained by The local media.

Just weeks ago, the Biden administration reached the opposite conclusion. In January, then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas extended TPS for Venezuelans for an additional 18 months, citing ongoing instability in the country. However, the Trump administration swiftly revoked that extension, arguing that conditions no longer warranted the protection.

At the time, Biden officials pointed to a report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that described Venezuela as facing “a complex, serious, and multidimensional humanitarian crisis” that had “disrupted every aspect of life.”

Democrats in Congress have urged Trump to reconsider.

“Given Venezuela’s increased instability, repression, and lack of safety, and within all applicable rules and regulations, we demand more information on why the department has made this decision,” congressional Democrats wrote in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security last week. “We also strongly urge you to re-extend the TPS designation for Venezuela so that we can continue to provide safety and support to Venezuelans fleeing the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis currently plaguing their home.”

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