For Immediate Release

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Media Contact

Erik Villalobos, evillalobos@ndlon.org

TPS Alliance Responds to Venezuela Re-Designation 

(Houston) Last night, the US. Department of Homeland Security announced it will be re-designating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela. The update would extend protections for approximately 240,000 current beneficiaries & expand protections to an additional 472,000 Venezuelan migrants.

Jose Palma released the following statement on behalf of the National TPS Alliance:

“On behalf of the TPS migrant community who are working hard to survive in times of crisis, many of whom have been displaced from our home countries and are doing all we can to keep our hopes alive and families intact, we welcome the good news that many thousands of Venezuelans who will now be able to receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday re-designated TPS for Venezuelan migrants, which will allow recent arrivals to apply for the program that protects them from deportation and authorizes them to work. This was long awaited but nonetheless very welcome news for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans affected by ongoing political turmoil in their native country!

Venezuela is just one troubled country among many. Venezuelan migrants are one group among many who have sought safety in the United States — and who are eager to provide for their families and give back to the communities they now live in. Work authorization and temporary legal status are the basic protections they need to make this contribution. TPS is a victory for migrants, but also for everyone in the United States.

While we applaud the Biden administration for its efforts to address the Venezuelan migrant crisis, we continue to raise the alarm for Central Americans! We hope that in addition to Venezuela, that President Biden also grants the same protections to Salvadorans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Guatemalans.

Let us remember the political crises causing mass migration, especially crises that stem from a long history of U.S. political and economic intervention. These are not exclusive to Venezuela!

So rights for Central American migrants, who are escaping from the same conditions in their own native countries, must not be ignored!”

– José Palma, TPS Holder, National Spokesperson for the National TPS Alliance

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