The U.S. will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for eligible Venezuelans in the U.S. for an additional 18 months, until March 2024, the Biden administration announced.
While the White House and the Department of Homeland Security support the extension of the humanitarian protections, the White House did not express support for immigration advocates' calls to expand the protections for a larger group of exiles, Politico reported.
The TPS extension will cover those Venezuelans who were already in the U.S. by March of last year and comes as administration officials showed concern that broadening the protections might encourage more Venezuelans to migrate.
“This action is one of many ways the Biden administration is providing humanitarian support to Venezuelans at home and abroad, together with our regional partners,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our international partners to address the challenges of regional migration while ensuring our borders remain secure.”
As the Miami Herald reported, about 343,000 Venezuelans in the United States are eligible to live and work in the U.S. temporarily. The protection was first announced in March 2021 and had been previously set to expire in September.