Miami mayor calls for reinstating TPS for Venezuelans : NPR

Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins is calling on the Trump administration to restore Temporary Protected Status, also known as TPS, for Venezuelans after US military operation capture of the country's president.

Higgins on Saturday said the Trump administration's end to TPS for Venezuelans in early 2025 was “reckless, dangerous and wrong.” She also called on President Trump to “immediately” restore TPS for Venezuelans.

Miami has large population Venezuelan emigrants. Higgins was sworn in as mayor last month, becoming first democrat to lead the city in about three decades.

“The instability unfolding in Venezuela today makes it even more clear that the country remains unsafe for people to return. No one should be forced back into chaos and uncertainty,” Higgins wrote in a statement. “They have built lives here, contributed to our community, and deserve to remain safe while their homeland restores stability. This is not just a matter of politics – it is a matter of basic human dignity and security.”

US Supreme Court in May allowed the Trump administration temporarily deny more than 350,000 Venezuelans living in the United States legal protections under TPS, which protects against deportations and provides work permits to people affected by war, natural disasters and other circumstances.

In October, the high court granted the administration's request to stop lower court ruling it blocked the end of TPS protections for Venezuelans, allowing the administration move forward with the discontinuation of the TPS designation for the country.

Department of Internal Security. Kristi Noem on Sunday, when asked about Higgins' statement, supported the administration's termination of the program, saying decisions are being made in collaboration with the State Department and the White House.

“Every person who has been under TPS has the opportunity to apply for refugee status, and that evaluation will continue, but we need to make sure that our programs actually mean something and that we are following the law,” Noem said. during an interview with Fox News.

The Department of Homeland Security also reported this. post on social networks later Sunday: “Secretary Noem has ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans so they can return home to the country they love.”

At least 7.9 million people fled. Venezuela's humanitarian crisisaccording to UN refugee agency UNHCR.