ORLANDO, Fla. — Around 320,000 legal and undocumented Venezuelan immigrants currently living in the U.S. will receive temporary protected status, meaning they can live stateside for at least 18 months without fear of deportation.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorka designated Venezuela for TPS on Monday.

“Only individuals who can demonstrate continuous residence in the United States as of March 8, 2021 are eligible for TPS under Venezuela’s designation. For their own health and safety, individuals should not believe smugglers or others claiming the border is now open. Due to the pandemic, travel and admission restrictions at the border remain in place,” stated Homeland Security.

People who want TPS must apply within the 180-day registration period with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  

It is something William Diaz worked to accomplish for years through his nonprofit Casa de Venezuela.

“I’ve lived 32 years here and every single day I’m working for my people of Venezuela and for them it means a lot,” Diaz said.

In 2015, he began to gain support from Central Florida leaders.

In April of that year, he stood near the bust of Simon Bolivar, the South American liberator, at Lake Eola alongside several Venezuelan immigrants as former-Representative Alan Grayson signed a letter urging USCIS to designate Venezuelans for TPS who fled the Nicolas Maduro regime.

“Almost a month after, a response from the Obama Administration considering that it was not enough consequences to grant TPS for Venezuelans. Instead of putting us down, it gave us energy and strength to go and fight for it. It’s been a long way, a long fight but we finally won,” he said.

Diaz credits his community’s refusal to quit and the support of Central Florida leaders for this moment.

“We have a champion and that champion is called Darren Soto. Darren Soto took the torch after Grayson left Congress,” he said.

He said he hopes this is the start of a better future for so many.

Diaz warns anyone applying for TPS should make sure they do it with the help of a credited immigration lawyer.