By Deba Uwadiae and Okon Ekpenyong

The United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has announced the termination of the Temporary Protected Status, TPS for Venezuela saying that the “conditions in Venezuela no longer support the 2023 designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).” Approximately 607,000 beneficiaries are likely to be affected.

In January the Biden administration extended the TPS for Venezuela allowing approximately 607,000 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through October 2, 2026, if they continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements.

A statement from the Homeland office said “after reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate U.S. government agencies, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has determined that conditions in Venezuela no longer support the 2023 designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).”

“TPS and related benefits associated with the 2023 designation will no longer be in effect starting 60 days after publication of the Federal Register notice.”

In January 2025, the Biden administration announced  the extension of Temporary Protected Status, TPS for Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela for 18 months, from April 2025, to October 2026, due to armed conflicts and extraordinary and temporary conditions in the countries that prevent individuals from safely returning.

The extension of TPS for Sudan allows approximately 1,900 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through Oct. 19, 2026, if they continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements. The extension of TPS for Ukraine allows approximately 103,700 current beneficiaries to re-register for TPS from Jan. 17, 2025, through March 18, 2025, The extension of TPS for Venezuela allows approximately 607,000 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through Oct. 2, 2026, if they continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements.

Ohio-based Immigration Attorney Inna Simakovsky described the termination of the Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela as “absurd and illegal,” adding that the conditions that brought them and allowed them the status are still there.

“We may politically disagree with them but from a human standpoint you can’t send back about 700,000 people to Venezuela when the situation is still the same. They have no where to live, no medication and no food. There is so much wrong in that country right now. And the reason Biden extended the TPS was because of that.”

“There are other options available. A lot of Venezuelans that have TPS also have asylum pending or if they don’t have asylum pending they should definitely apply for one. People must remain calm and apply for everything they are eligible to apply for.”

Inna advised Venezuelans likely to be affected to “contact American lawyers and seek out their options in a calm, logical and professional way.”

She noted, however, that “most Venezuelans are not using lawyers. They are using notaries or Venezuelan lawyers. They don’t know American laws. If they live in Columbus, Ohio for example they should use lawyers in Ohio not going to other states.”

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