Trump ends Biden ‘amnesty’ for 270,000 Venezuelans

The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that President Donald Trump’s administration is terminating the Temporary Protected Status designation for almost 270,000 Venezuelan migrants in the United States. The designation was provided under former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021.

In a Wednesday press release, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was terminating the Temporary Protected status for Venezuela. The press release noted that the Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan migrants will expire on September 10 and will be effective 60 days after the Federal Register notice was published.

Matthew Tragesser, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman, said, “Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively.”

“Weighing public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it’s clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America’s best interest,” Tragesser added.

Wednesday’s press release explained that the secretary of Homeland Security is required to review Temporary Protected Status conditions for a country at least 60 days before a Temporary Protected Status designation expires. The secretary is then required to determine whether the designation should be extended based on multiple conditions.

The Department of Homeland Security noted that Noem decided Venezuela does not currently meet the requirements for the Temporary Protected Status designation based on a review of the current conditions in Venezuela and a consultation with the U.S. Department of State. 

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data shared with Fox News, 268,156 Venezuelan nationals in the United States will lose their Temporary Protected Status designation following the Trump administration’s termination of the designation implemented under the Biden administration. The outlet also noted that 102,935 pending renewal applications and 3,739 pending initial applications for Temporary Protected Status will also be terminated. 

The Department of Homeland Security encouraged Venezuelan nationals affected by the Trump administration’s decision to use the CBP Home app to “self-deport” from the United States. The department noted that by self-deporting, Venezuelan nationals can obtain a $1,000 “exit bonus,” a free airplane ticket, and future legal immigration opportunities.