Despite Maduro's capture, DHS says Venezuelans in the U.S. won't get new TPS protection

The Department of Homeland Security says the Trump administration won't reinstate Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Venezuelans in the wake of U.S. forces capturing that nation’s president.

TPS gives nationals from countries deemed too dangerous to return to temporary protection from deportation and a work permit in the U.S. Countries can be designated due to war, famine or other issues.

Venezuelans were allowed to apply for the status in 2021 under the Biden administration and the designation was extended just before the Trump administration took office in January.

But DHS terminated the status for Venezuela in September, along with other countries, arguing they no longer met the requirements to get the protection. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia Mclaughlin told Fox News the administration would likely not change course now.

“I’m not seeing any changes to our posture on this, I think the great news for those who are here from Venezuela on Temporary Protected Status is that they can now go home with hope for their country ,” Mclaughlin said.

Over the weekend, Democratic Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins said instability triggered by the U.S. removal of Nicolas Maduro meant the country was still unsafe for nationals to return, and called on the Trump administration to reinstate TPS protections.

At the end of last year, a federal court ruled the Trump administration’s roll back of TPS protections for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua was unlawful. A separate lawsuit, challenging the end of TPS for Venezuela and Haiti, is at a standstill after a lower court ruling was frozen by the Supreme Court.