MIAMI, Florida. — Sigmund García, who was born in Venezuela and moved to South Florida about a year ago, said in Spanish that he lives in fear of deportation. You don’t have to do that anymore for now.
García is one of 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country on July 31 and are eligible for temporary protected status from the Department of Homeland Security.
This extension of TPS is in addition to the nearly 242,700 Venezuelans already under TPS.
“We can at least get a work permit so people can work,” García said in Spanish.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas granted the extension because of “Venezuela’s growing instability and lack of security,” the department said in a statement.
Rachel León, an immigration lawyer, said many of her clients have called her for information and she was able to tell them the good news.
“This means that these people will not be deported,” León said, adding: “Many of them are professionals who can get a higher quality job with the work permit.”
Willy Allen, an immigration lawyer, TPS recognizes that Venezuela is a country in chaos and people are fleeing. The United Nations estimates the Venezuelan diaspora at 7.3 million.
Allen said it also relieves pressure on an already overburdened immigration court system.
“Immigration court’s priority right now should be deporting criminal aliens,” Allen said.
The Biden administration is also dealing with a growing number of Venezuelan asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border and is using CBP One, a mobile app, to schedule appointments at border crossings including for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua who are seeking one have a financial sponsor.
The Biden administration also assigned US Department of Defense forces to support homeland security. The National Guard was already supporting Customs and Border Protection.
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