ORLANDO, Fla. — The Trump administration is ending temporary protected status for Venezuelans, a move that could impact hundreds of thousands of people.

What You Need To Know

  • The Trump administration has ended the extension of Temporary Protected Status for people from Venezuela, which had protected roughly 600,000 people from the country from deportation

  • Congress created TPS in the Immigration Act of 1990

  • The TPS designation gives people legal authority to be in the country, but doesn’t provide a long-term path to citizenship

According to the National Immigration Forum, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, the United States provided Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to more than 344,000 Venezuelans. That’s just under half of the 863,000 foreign nationals granted TPS as of last spring.

As of January 2025, a total of 17 countries were designated for TPS, including Venezuela. But last week, the Trump administration announced the country would be removed from the list.

For the last two decades, William J. Diaz has been helping Venezuelans who come to the U.S. looking for better opportunities. He said thousands of Venezuelan families are now living in fear after the Trump administration announced it won’t extend the TPS program, which allows them to stay legally in the country. 

“I feel terrible,” Diaz said.

Congress created Temporary Protected Status in the Immigration Act of 1990. It is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of specifically designated countries that are confronting an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions.

“TPS is our baby, so I am really suffering a lot, especially because there’s over 600,000 Venezuelans in the whole country that now benefit from that,” Diaz said.

Francisco Symphorien-Saavedra , an immigration attorney and founder of the Symphorien-Saavedra Law, says Venezuelans are one of the largest beneficiaries from TPS.

“It allows people to stay here, to have a temporary status and to have work authorization," Symphorien-Saavedra said. "And to kind of have some peace of mind knowing that they can remain in the United States for a certain period, typically for 18 months at a time."

Diaz said many who come to the U.S. want better opportunities and are contributing members of society. 

“They are not criminals," he said. "They’re working in hospitals. They are working on schools. They’re working on the hospitality industry. They are helping the social life in the community, in the whole country."

Symphorien-Saavedra said that after the Trump administration's move, some TPS recipients might face deportations. 

“Well, unfortunately, yes," he said. "You know, for some people that have already gone through the immigration removal process, you know, perhaps there’s a significant number of Venezuelans who’ve been here for a while, who’ve had hearings in court, who’ve had, you know, their cases referred to immigration court. And some of them may have actual deportation orders."

The TPS designation gave people legal authority to be in the country but doesn’t provide a long-term path to citizenship. 

“Ultimately, everybody that is here on Temporary Protected Status should be looking at other options, whether it’s through family, whether it’s through employment or whether it’s based on asylum … This is something that everybody in Temporary Protected Status should constantly be looking at — how does permanently cement my immigration situation in the United States,” Symphorien-Saavedra said.

Symphorien-Saavedra said he recommends anyone who’s currently under TPS to remain calm as these changes take effect and potentially seek legal advice.