By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday moved to terminate deportation relief for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S., part of President Donald Trump’s expanding immigration crackdown.
The decision means about 348,000 Venezuelans with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will lose deportation relief and access to work permits by April, according to a related government notice, which said conditions in Venezuela no longer warranted the protections and that they were contrary to U.S. interests.
Trump, a Republican, took office on Jan. 20 vowing to crack down on illegal immigration and humanitarian programs he says go beyond the intent of U.S. law. Trump tried to end most TPS enrollment during his first term but was stymied by federal courts.
TPS is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event.
Biden, a Democrat, greatly expanded the program and it now covers more than 1 million people from 17 nations. Many of those migrants – including some in the U.S. for decades – could be vulnerable to immediate deportation if they lose the status.
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans arrived in the U.S. during Biden’s presidency, many via legal humanitarian pathways, and deporting them has been challenging due to frosty U.S.-Venezuela relations. On Saturday, Trump said Venezuela had agreed to accept all deportees, but provided few details.
Last week, Noem rolled back an 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuelans by her predecessor, Alejandro Mayorkas, saying the Trump administration did not want to be bound by the Biden-era determination.
About 300,000 additional Venezuelans have TPS protections that expire in September and were not affected by Monday’s decision.
DHS said in the termination notice that while some challenging conditions remain in Venezuela, “there are notable improvements in several areas such as the economy, public health, and crime that allow for these nationals to be safely returned to their home country.”
The termination will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, the notice said.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson and Jasper Ward; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Chizu Nomiyama)
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