NEW YORK, CMC – The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, warned on Wednesday that Venezuelan nationals in New York are at risk of deportation in the wake of President Trump’s revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela.
“Trump’s revocation of TPS for Venezuela is a cruel escalation of his mass deportation agenda, prioritizing enforcement over humanitarian solutions,” Murad Awawdeh, NYIC’s president and chief executive officer, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“The devastating decision will have consequences for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have built their lives in the United States, including those who call New York home,” he added. “Families will now face the reality of uprooting the lives they worked so hard to build here and returning to a country still grappling with the political and economic turmoil they escaped.
“The Trump administration should be protecting – not punishing – people who have sought safety from crisis and instability and who have been contributing to New York’s economy,” continued Awawdeh, urging the New York Congressional Delegation to “act now to provide permanent protections for all TPS holders who face the threat of forced removal under inhumane policies.”
Earlier this week, the United States Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, announced that the Trump administration will revoke the TPS designation for Venezuela, leaving hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation and without work permits.
Awawdeh said the temporary humanitarian program protected about 350,000 Venezuelans who sought refuge in the United States over the past few years due to political and economic turmoil in their home country.
Awawdeh said this revocation only impacts Venezuelans who received TPS on October 3, 2023.
“These individuals will lose status and work authorization at 11:59 PM local time on April 7, 2025,” he said. “However, this termination does not apply to Venezuelan nationals who applied for and received TPS under the 2021 designation, which will remain in effect until September 10, 2025.”
The San Diego, CA-based Haitian Bridge Alliance has also strongly condemned the Trump administration’s termination of TPS for about 600,000 Venezuelans residing in the United States.
“This action, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, not only jeopardizes the safety and well-being of countless individuals but also contradicts America’s global commitment to human rights and humanitarian principles,” Haitian Bridge Alliance Executive Director Guerline Josef told CMC.
She said that TPS, a humanitarian immigration program established under the US Immigration Act of 1990 (INA § 244), grants temporary legal status to nationals of designated countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions that make safe return impossible.
“TPS recipients are allowed to live and work legally in the United States for the duration of the designation,” Josef said. “Here, the revocation of TPS for Venezuelans disregards the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, where political instability, economic collapse, and widespread human rights abuses have forced millions to flee their homeland.”
In pointing to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), she said more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country in search of protection and a better life, “making it one of the largest displacement crises in the world.”
Josef said the majority—over 6.5 million people—have been hosted in Latin American and Caribbean countries.
“Within Venezuela, the situation remains dire,” she said, stating that an estimated 7.6 million people need humanitarian assistance, “struggling to access adequate healthcare, nutrition, and essential services.
“The termination of TPS ignores these harsh realities, effectively condemning thousands to return to life-threatening conditions,” Josef added. “This decision is emblematic of the administration’s broader xenophobic agenda, which seeks to marginalize immigrant communities and dismantle systems of protection for the most vulnerable.
“It perpetuates a narrative that devalues the lives of those seeking safety and undermines the rich diversity that strengthens our nation,” she continued. “Such actions serve only to sow division and perpetuate systemic injustices against marginalized populations.”
Josef said the Haitian Bridge Alliance “stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan community and all TPS holders targeted by policies that undermine our nation’s laws, values of compassion and refuge.
“We call on Congress to take immediate action to provide permanent protection for TPS holders and ensure that no family is forced to return to dangerous conditions,” she said. “In the interim, we call on Congress to use its power to force the administration to rescind its position.”
Awawdeh said that since New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have been strong supporters of TPS for Venezuela, “we are urging them to show their commitment to this program as a means for recent arrivals to work and contribute safely.”
Awawdeh also called on US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and US House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—both New York representatives—“to rally their colleagues in Congress to support TPS for Venezuela.
“Our elected officials in New York must stand up to protect all New Yorkers and to ensure the continued health and stability of our economy,” he urged.
and then , an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights){kind=link}