New York, NY—Today, the Biden administration announced it will be extending and re-designating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans who arrived in the United States before July 31, 2023.
Temporary Protected Status is a temporary immigration status granted by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to individuals who are unable to return home safely due civil war, natural disaster, or other conditions or circumstances preventing their return to their home country. During the designated TPS period, TPS holders cannot be deported from the United States and cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of their immigration status. TPS holders are eligible for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and for travel authorization.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Nobody wants to leave their home if they don’t have to. But thanks to the Biden administration extending and re-designating TPS for Venezuela, people who were forced to flee the violence and instability of Venezuela’s collapsing government will now have a fair shot at remaining safe and secure in the United States. This new status will allow the over 470,000 Venezuelans here in the U.S. and 60,000 Venezuelans who have arrived in New York in the past year to quickly acquire work authorizations and immediately start contributing to our local economy and communities. Additionally, we applaud the Biden administration extending EAD’s to 5 years. But Venezuelans aren’t alone in experiencing the types of conditions that make it difficult to return to their home countries. The Biden administration must also re-designate TPS for Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Nepal, Sudan, South Sudan, and Cameroon, and create new TPS designations for Guatemala, Mauritania, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Senegal, Haiti and Nigeria. We need to continue providing relief to all immigrants seeking safety and security.”