300,000 Venezuelans Lose Protected Immigration Status: Trump Official Says Program Is ‘Contrary To The National Interest’

The Trump administration has rescinded Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 300,000 Venezuelans in the United States, leaving them vulnerable to deportation in the coming months, according to government documents obtained by The New York Times and reported Sunday.

The news comes one day after President Donald Trump’s Saturday post on Truth Social announcing that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had met with Trump administration official Richard Grenell and agreed to take back people who entered the U.S. illegally. The meeting in Caracas also led to the release of six US detainees held in Venezuela.

The NYT report underscores Trump’s crackdown on the TPS program, which he began during his first term (2017-2021) though his efforts at the time were blocked by federal courts. TPS is normally available to people whose home country experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary events.

Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary, said TPS was no longer necessary because it did not serve the national interest of the United States. according to the administration.

“After reviewing country conditions and considering whether permitting Venezuelan nationals covered by the 2023 designation is contrary to the national interest of the United States, in consultation with the appropriate U.S. government agencies, the secretary of homeland security has determined that Venezuela no longer continues to meet the conditions for the 2023 designation,” the administration’s notice states, per the NY Times.

Trump Administration Moving Quickly

In past TPS terminations, such as for El Salvador and Haiti, the affected individuals were granted at least 12 to 18 months before their status expired. This time, however, the administration is moving more swiftly. Venezuelans who received TPS 2023 will lose their protected status just 60 days after the termination notice is published.

Republican critics have long argued that TPS had evolved into a de facto permanent immigration program, rather than the temporary relief it was originally intended to provide.

More than 300,000 Venezuelans now hold TPS while another 250,000 have protections that extend through September. While the latter group is not immediately affected, the recent Trump administration decision suggests their status could also be in jeopardy.

At the time of this writing, there was no response as yet from the Maduro government in Venezuela.

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