Venezuelan communities and activists say they are fiercely opposed to the executive order of US President Donald Trump to end deportation protection for Venezuelans, saying it could separate families and upend lives built over decades in the United States.
In a dramatic policy shift, the Trump administration has terminated Temporary Protected Status for over 300,000 Venezuelan residents, exposing them to immediate deportation.
In Miami, Florida, the Venezuelans have fired back after the executive order.
The decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status known as TPS will leave thousands in their community undocumented and vulnerable to potential deportation.
Those under TPS from Venezuela who received the protections in 2023 will lose their temporary status 60 days after the government publishes the termination notice.
Carlos Pereira, Venezuelan American politician and activist, said:
“I want to send the message to the president. If the Venezuelan Americans voted for you in large numbers, they did so to remove criminals and to oust Nicolas Maduro from Miraflores. Venezuelan Americans did not vote for you to criminalize the majority of Venezuelans who are now left without status and for you to negotiate with Nicolas Maduro in Miraflores.”
Mariana Molero and her husband have been in the US for 20 years and she is facing the upcoming tough nut.
She said she will fight on although she has got a deportation order as her husband lost the asylum.
The couple have two US born children, an 18-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter, Paola Fernandez.
The situation is further complicated by ongoing security concerns. Kristi Noem, Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, claims Venezuela no longer meets conditions for TPS.
The Venezuelan community remains defiant, vowing to take their cases to court and explore every legal avenue to stay in the United States.
