‘Not In America’s Best Interest’: Trump Admin Scraps Deportation Protections For Venezuelans

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday it will be ending deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is terminating the 2021 designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela, as announced by the agency. The designation had allowed over 200,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S. — including those who entered unlawfully — to remain largely without risk of removal.

Following consultation with the State Department and a U.S. Citizenship and 🛂Immigration Services (USCIS) review of the conditions in the South American country, Noem determined that Venezuela no longer met the TPS requirements, according to DHS. Additionally, the DHS secretary determined that maintaining the 2021 designation was not in the best interest of the U.S.

“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,” a DHS spokesperson said in a public statement.

“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,” the spokesperson continued.