President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending temporary amnesty status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States who would otherwise be eligible for deportation.
On Monday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the Biden administration will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 more months to about 343,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.
The move comes after former President Trump and then current President Biden rewarded Venezuelans with TPS in January 2021 and March 2021 respectively. Trump had initially started TPS for about 94,000 Venezuelans and Biden later expanded the program to include an additional quarter of a million Venezuelans.
A man holds a placard that reads “Thank you JoeBiden. TPS for Vzla” as he gathers to celebrate the granting of a temporary protected status (TPS) to Venezuelans by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration in front of El Arepazo restaurant in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2021. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman wears a protective mask reading “Venezuelans with Biden 2020” as she gathers to celebrate the granting of a temporary protected status (TPS) to Venezuelans by U.S. President Joe Biden in front of El Arepazo restaurant in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2021. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
A man holds a Biden/Harris campaign flag as he gathers to celebrate the granting of a temporary protected status (TPS) to Venezuelans by U.S. President Joe Biden in front of El Arepazo restaurant in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2021. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
People gather in front of the El Arepazo restaurant to show their support for an order signed by U.S. President Joe Biden that grants temporary protective status for thousands of Venezuelans on March 9, 2021, in Doral, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“As one of my first actions as Secretary, I designated Venezuela for TPS,” Mayorkas said in a statement:
After careful consideration, and in consultation with the Secretary of State, today I am extending that designation. 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. We will continue to work with our international partners to address the challenges of regional migration while ensuring our borders remain secure. [Emphasis added]
TPS serves as a quasi-amnesty for foreign nationals, created under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 (INA), that prevents deportations for those from countries experiencing famine, war, or natural disasters.
Since the Clinton administration, TPS has been transformed into a de facto amnesty program as the Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and now Biden administrations have continuously renewed the program for a variety of countries.
As of 2021, more than 400,000 foreign nationals live in the United States on TPS status.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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