Here’s What You Need To Know About Venezuelans Being Offered TPS
The Biden administration has designated Venezuela as a Temporary Protected Status country for 18 months. The announcement, made by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, will give thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S. protection from deportation.
Venezuelans in the U.S. can finally live without fear thanks to the Biden administration.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has designated Venezuela as eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The designation will last for 18 months, until September 2022. TPS will allow for Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. to live without fear of deportation. It also applies to non-Venezuelan nationals who last resided in Venezuela before arriving in the U.S.
“The living conditions in Venezuela reveal a country in turmoil, unable to protect its own citizens,” Secretary Mayorkas said in a statement. “It is in times of extraordinary and temporary circumstances like these that the United States steps forward to support eligible Venezuelan nationals already present here, while their home country seeks to right itself out of the current crises.”
Venezuela has been in political and economic turmoil for years.
Hospitals are closed and medication is running dry in Venezuela as the government continues their death grip on the country. Venezuelans have demonstrated against the government that has held sham elections and protests have turned violent as police clash with protesters.
The former president ran on a disinformation campaign of anti-socialism to court Venezuelan and Cuban voters in Florida. The former administration also kept toying with the idea of protecting Venezuelans in the U.S. but never followed through with the promise.
The TPS designation will save hundreds of thousands of people from being sent back.
Food is scarce. Medication is disappearing. Life in Venezuela has been precarious for years. The world has watched in shock as more than 5 million people have fled the South American country in hopes of stability and peace. More than 300,000 Venezuelans have settled in the U.S. since fleeing President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Here are some quick facts to know about applying for TPS.
- People who have been in the U.S. prior to March 8, 2021, are eligible as long as they have not committed two misdemeanors or one felony.
- You must provide proper documentation such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport. You must also prove that you have not left the U.S. since arriving before March 8.
- Venezuelans have 180 days to apply for TPS. The deadline is Sept. 5.
- Applicants must fill out an I-821 form as well as an I-765 form if they are seeking TPS and work authorization. Applicants will have to pay a $50 application fee, an $85 biometric fee, and a $410 fee for those seeking work authorization.
