By Grace Rolman

After several months of worry for Venezuelan citizens who have been residing in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) since 2019 after the economic collapse of Venezuela, the White House has finally extended TPS  for Venezuelan citizens. This brings huge relief to Venezuelan natives who have been living and working in the United States as their home country is still devastated by the economic crisis. with a 94% poverty rate and a 2,959.8% inflation rate in 2022, and a 686.4% inflation rate in 2021, Venezuela’scrisis is extreme.

The end of the 18-month TPS for Venezuelans in September of 2022 was fast approaching; however, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas announced that Venezuela would receive another 18-month extension. As poverty and inflation take over Venezuela, the United States is offering a temporary stay for those affected by the extreme economic crisis.

TPS is not a permanent solution; however, it provides options for those from very specific countries seeking protection, security, access to work and shelter, and a place to be safe for the time being until it is determined that their home country is stable and/or safe enough to return to. TPS is not an option for everyone from all over the world, but rather it is only an option for people from these specific countries:

• Afghanistan

• Burma (Myanmar)

• Cameroon

• El Salvador

• Haiti

• Honduras

• Nepal

• Nicaragua

• Syria

• Somalia

• Suda

• South Sudan

• Ukraine

• Venezuela

• Yemen

Countries are added and removed from this list depending on the circumstances within each country. If there is war, poverty, natural disaster, economic crisis, persecution, or other circumstances causing instability in a country, it can be added or extended to this list.  If a country stabilizes and becomes safe again, TPS will not be renewed and those individuals will be able to return to their home countries again.

There are pros and cons to the TPS system, as there are to every process. For some countries, like Ukraine, which has only had TPS for a couple of months, there is hope that once the Russia-Ukraine war has ended, the Ukrainian natives will be able to return to their homes without many repercussions.

However, for other countries that have been on the TPS list for more than a decade, like Honduras, those who have renewed their TPS have been residing in the U.S. on TPS for years with a work authorization; however, they are not green card holders or U.S. citizens and they have no path to citizenship. They are still expected to return to Honduras once the country is safe again, even though some individuals have been living in the United States for more than 20 years and have  U.S.-born children.  Despite having built their lives here in the U.S., they could eventually become deportable once Honduras is no longer covered under TPS. 

In other words, while TPS gives individuals from these countries safety from the dangers and instability of their native countries, the U.S. sometimes becomes their new home country if TPS is renewed long enough.  Is it ethical to send people out of their homes to a country they have not seen in 20 years, because the U.S. Government no longer deems it a threat? It certainly affects people’s human rights. While the U.S. has offered temporary status to protect individuals’ security, it has no system in place for TPS recipients who have been living in the country for a specific amount of time the option to apply for permanent residency through a Green Card. This lack of long-term security has a major impact on individuals, families, and communities. 

Andrea Torres, Venezuela’s long-running economic crisis appears to have hit bottom, Local 10, Feb. 9 2022. https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/02/09/venezuelas-long-running-economic-crisis-appears-to-have-hit-bottom/ U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Temporary Protected Status, updated as of 14 July 2022.