The Biden administration will extend temporary protection status for nearly half a million Venezuelan nationals currently residing in the United States, a decision that comes amid Democratic leaders’ pressure on the White House to take more action regarding asylum-seekers.
Under the extension, an estimated 474,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. as of July 31 will be granted Temporary Protection Status (TPS), in addition to the approximately 242,700 existing beneficiaries, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas granted the expansion and 18-month extension for those who already have temporary status in the wake of Venezuela’s “increased instability and lack of safety due to enduring humanitarian, security, political and environmental conditions,” the department said.
The designation protects Venezuelans from removal, making it easier for those who came to the U.S. to get employment authorization, a repeated request from some Democrats who have pushed the Biden administration to speed up the process for asylum-seekers to get a work permit.
“Temporary protected status provides individuals already present in the United States with protection from removal when the conditions in their home country prevent their safe return,” Mayorkas said in a statement, noting those who arrived after July 31 are not eligible for such protection.
Those noneligible individuals “will be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay,” the DHS said.
While the decision is likely to appease some of the Democrats’ demands on immigration, the move could also fuel further Republican critics that President Biden has been too lenient with the country’s border amid an influx of migrants.
The Biden administration has maintained a somewhat cautious approach to immigration and border security, fueling criticism from both sides of the aisle at times.
Leaders in New York, Massachusetts and Chicago have called attention to the toll the newly arrived migrants have taken on the states’ resources, particularly in New York, where the government is required to provide housing to those who need it.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has been vocal in his call for improving the work-permit process for asylum-seekers, calling it “anti-American” to not let the migrants work.
Adams expressed his appreciation for Biden’s decision Wednesday, adding that he is hopeful to continue to partner with Biden on extending temporary protection for migrants from other countries.
“And I look forward to continued work with our state and federal partners to deliver relief for asylum seekers and longtime New Yorkers with a national decompression strategy and expedited work authorizations so those entering our city and our country can provide for themselves and finally have a shot at living out the American Dream,” Adams wrote in a statement.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) echoed Adams’s gratitude while noting there is still progress to be made.
“There’s more work to do as we address this crisis, but the State of New York is prepared to immediately begin the process of signing people up for work authorization and getting them into jobs so they can become self-sufficient,” Hochul wrote in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed.