Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper urged U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to extend the eligibility date for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals currently living in the United States.
“The ongoing humanitarian and political crisis in Venezuela has led to widespread violence, political persecution, food and medicine shortages, and other systemic collapses in vital infrastructure… However, the thousands of Venezuelan nationals who have continued to arrive since the July 2022 TPS designation are ineligible for protection despite having fled those same conditions,” wrote the senators.
In the letter, the senators clarify that under current guidelines, TPS only applies to Venezuelan nationals who arrived before March 9th, 2021. The senators highlight that this status does not apply to those who have arrived in the almost two years since then, including over 4,000 migrants who have come to Colorado since December 2022.
“In light of this situation and your recognition of the danger Venezuelans could face should they return, we strongly urge you to extend Venezuela’s TPS designation to include Venezuelan nationals residing in the United States prior to January 23, 2023,” continued the senators.
Established by Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS is a temporary, renewable program that provides relief from deportation and access to a work permit for foreign nationals from certain countries who are unable to return safely to their home country due to natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions. TPS recipients are fully vetted and are required to undergo background checks to ensure that they are not risks to public safety or national security. Once granted TPS, individuals may not be deported, may obtain an employment authorization document, and may be granted travel authorization.
In March 2019, Bennet joined 28 senators in urging the administration to designate Venezuela for TPS to ensure that Venezuelan nationals in the United States were not forced to return to their home country given the deteriorating situation caused by the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
We write to request that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela. Specifically, we request that eligibility be extended for Venezuelan nationals residing in the United States on or before January 23, 2023.
The ongoing humanitarian and political crisis in Venezuela has led to widespread violence, political persecution, food and medicine shortages, and other systemic collapses in vital infrastructure. An estimated 7.1 million Venezuelan refugees have fled the country since the crisis began.
In July 2022, DHS extended Venezuela’s designation for TPS for 18-months supporting Venezuelans who arrived in the United States prior to March 9th, 2021 and providing them with work authorization and protection from deportation through March 10th, 2024. As evidenced by this decision, your agency has acknowledged that current conditions make it unsafe for displaced Venezuelans to return to the country.
However, the thousands of Venezuelan nationals who have continued to arrive since the July 2022 TPS designation are ineligible for protection despite having fled those same conditions. This includes over 4,000 migrants who have arrived in Colorado since December 2022. While your agency recently implemented a new Parole Process for Venezuelans, many of these individuals began the months-long journey from Venezuela prior to this program becoming available.
In light of this situation and your recognition of the danger Venezuelans could face should they return, we strongly urge you to extend Venezuela’s TPS designation to include Venezuelan nationals residing in the United States prior to January 23, 2023.
As you know, the situation at the border is a symptom of our broken immigration system. We look forward to working with the administration on comprehensive immigration reform that includes common sense steps to secure the border and a legal pathway for DREAMers, TPS recipients, and essential workers.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
