Alejandro and his fiancée first arrived within the U.S. in November 2022, as a part of the primary batch of beneficiaries of the Biden administration’s Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) parole program. Abandoning their life in Venezuela, they had been overjoyed to be reunited with Alejandro’s dad and mom, who first arrived in 2017 looking for life-saving most cancers remedy for his mom. As of 2024, the entire household had discovered stability and high quality of life by way of the Momentary Protected Standing (TPS) program — a stability that’s now threatened by the promise of mass deportations below the Trump administration.
“At evening, I undergo from a nervous cough, so I’ve been coughing for about two weeks with out being sick, as my anxiousness causes discomfort in my throat,” stated Alejandro, who’s utilizing a pseudonym to guard himself from potential deportation. Since arriving within the U.S., Alejandro has discovered work in engineering and was simply starting to organize for a brighter future. He and his fiancée deliberate to marry later this 12 months, purchase a home, and get thinking about having kids. Now, all their funds will go towards attorneys.
On Feb. 3, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristy Noem officially terminated the extension of the TPS for Venezuela, issued only some weeks earlier by former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. This choice might depart 348,202 of the roughly 600,000 Venezuelans residing within the U.S. below the 2023 designation with out authorized standing or proper to work as quickly as April 7, whereas the opposite half who registered below the 2021 designation might face the identical scenario in September.
TPS was first launched as a part of the Immigration Act of 1990 to offer protections from deportation, work permits, and, in some instances, journey authorizations for immigrants who can’t return to their international locations resulting from wars, environmental disasters, or different extraordinary circumstances. As of 2025, 17 international locations, together with Venezuela, are designated for TPS, however current messaging from the Trump administration in addition to Donald Trump’s track record of trying to overturn this system has created a wave of worry and misery for immigrants throughout the U.S.
Two weeks after Noem introduced the termination, two different lawsuits had been launched in California and Maryland to enchantment it, as was beforehand carried out throughout Trump’s first time period. However might his administration really succeed this time? Cara Jobson, an immigration lawyer at Wiley & Jobson, stated it’s unlikely.
“This occurred over the last Trump presidency, the place there was a cancellation of TPS by Trump. After which there was litigation, and that litigation actually was quite successful to the extent that it protected individuals,” stated Jobson, who was not concerned in that litigation. Jobson stated attorneys had argued that Trump’s makes an attempt to terminate TPS violated the Administrative Process Act and had been racially motivated. “Clearly, Trump is sort of hostile to TPS, and whether or not the litigation might be as profitable as earlier than stays to be seen, however we definitely hope so.”
Within the meantime, Jobson and different immigration attorneys throughout the nation are looking for different pathways to guard immigrants who’re fearful about shedding their statuses, together with asylum, an choice for individuals who worry returning to Venezuela as a result of political scenario and the dangerous conditions.
Alejandro is a part of this group. His household has a long-standing historical past of being affiliated with opposition political events, and he has participated in demonstrations in opposition to the Nicolás Maduro regime. What’s extra, going again to Venezuela means shedding his skill to offer for his household and danger shedding his mom, because the medicines wanted to maintain her in remission are scarce there.
Along with challenges in opposition to TPS, immigrants like Alejandro who entered the nation by way of Joe Biden’s humanitarian parole programs or the Customs and Border Safety app CBP One may encounter hurdles earlier than with the ability to purchase a unique standing, as they’re thought-about by the Trump administration to be within the U.S. illegally. On Feb. 14, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers (USCIS) indefinitely paused all pending functions from paroled immigrants, citing fraud and safety considerations. Jobson stated that these claims may very well be simply debunked.
“(These immigrants) went to the airport or the border and had been stamped and let in. Even when he needed to cancel this system, I don’t see how they’ll say that these individuals weren’t admitted or paroled,” Jobson stated. “However a whole lot of that is in flux proper now.”
Whereas attorneys work to search out options to guard TPS holders, members of advocacy teams are organizing to line up help exterior of courts. Adelys Ferro, the manager director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, is spearheading efforts to prepare the Venezuelan group throughout the U.S. to succeed in out to members of Congress. As of Feb. 23, the campaign has despatched 66,515 letters to representatives all around the nation to point out that, though the Venezuelan diaspora is not too long ago established and small in comparison with others, the group brings loads to the desk.
“There are states, like Florida, which have despatched 1000’s of letters to their completely different congressmen and senators,” Ferro stated. “We’ve no hope that this help will make the Trump administration change its mind-set, however for every of us, it does matter as a result of we elected these individuals. All of that is added to what we plan to do very quickly within the courts.”
One of many principal objectives of her current advocacy work is to battle misinformation in opposition to Venezuelans unfold by the Trump administration, which has usually lumped TPS holders together with members of the prison gang Tren de Aragua.
“Not a single TPS holder has been recognized as a member of Tren de Aragua. And that’s not an opinion. That’s information from the FBI, the Division of Justice, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], USCIS,” Ferro stated.
As April 7 looms, there may be little to no certainty for Venezuelans and TPS beneficiaries from different international locations, like Haitians, who’re anticipated to lose their protection standing on Aug. 3. Advocacy teams are holding immigrant rights workshops for residents and folks with authorized standing who wish to become involved. Latinx-focused information shops have developed informational guides for individuals who surprise if they’re at risk. Within the worst instances, immigrants are already filing guardianship documents to guard their kids from going into foster care if they’re deported. And 350,000 individuals have lower than two months to determine their future.
“It hurts,” Alejandro stated. “The federal government needs to make us all unlawful. … We aren’t dangerous individuals. We simply got here right here to work.”
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