‘We need to protect these people': Venezuelan community concerned after losing protected status
The Venezuelan community across Central Florida is on edge. It comes as the Department of Homeland Security removed Venezuela from the list of countries with temporary protected status in the United States.
'Do you fear for the safety of your people,' Channel 9′s Geovany Dias asked William Diaz, Founder of Casa de Venezuela. 'Absolutely, all the time,' Diaz said.
Diaz was born and raised in Venezuela. For the past two decades, he's been helping other Venezuelans come to the U.S. looking for a better life. Now, he's bracing for a drastic change.
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'Public utilities do not work. The roads are in terrible conditions; people die because the hospitals have no resources,' Diaz said. 'How do you call that? A humanitarian crisis!'
Currently, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans are under temporary protected status - TPS. The status is given to citizens from countries experiencing political instability. With the document, they can temporarily live, work, and pay taxes in the United States.
Under the Biden Administration, TPS for Venezuelans was granted for the first time in 2021.
And before he left the white house in January, the former president extended the status until 2026.
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However, on Tuesday, the Trump Administration revoked the measure. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on social media - that DHS is 'ending the ridiculous Biden Administration order that allowed illegal immigrants from Venezuela to stay in our country and violate our laws.'
According to Orlando immigration attorney Walter Santos, the list of countries that qualify for TPS changes based on their political climate. 'The foreigner is allowed to stay in the United States until the last day of their TPS, the day after they are here illegally,' Santos said.
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The attorney also explained that, in the case of Venezuela, not much has changed regarding the country's political climate and that Venezuelan citizens must have no criminal record to qualify for TPS and must be fingerprinted. 'The situation is even worse now than it was many years ago. Now is the time to protect these people who are already here and working legally, contributing. We're not talking about criminals. We're not talking about people who are violating the law.'
Casa de Venezuela is joining 80+ organizations nationwide to look into legal options to bring TPS back.
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