ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly half a million Venezuelans who have come to the U.S. in recent years will be newly eligible for Temporary Protected Status.
That designation will allow Venezuelans to work, travel, and have protection from deportation for at least the next 18 months.
It will apply to approximately 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. before July 31st of this year.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said this is due to temporary conditions that prevent Venezuelans from safely returning to their home country.
The United States has not had diplomatic relations with the country since 2019. Experts said it has complicated immigration cases and made deportations to Venezuela challenging.
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Meanwhile, in Central Florida, the Venezuelan population has steadily grown.
Data from UCF’s Puerto Rico Research Hub shows as of 2021, more than 65,000 Venezuelans were calling Orange, Seminole, or Osceola counties home.
The population more than doubled from 2015 to 2021 in Orange County, going from just under 19,000 to over 45,000.
The Temporary Protected Status designation will be consequential for and will impact several in Central Florida.
Venezuelan native Kathyna Arrieta cheered when she heard the news that the United States would be extending and redesignating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans.
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Before moving to Orlando, Arrieta worked as a University Professor in Venezuela. But as her country strayed further and further from democracy, she became part of the resistance.
Arrieta says she draped a massive resistance flag from her apartment complex.
It led to a raid on her home and months later, she was shot at while trying to pick up her son for school.
“It was the last day, I said I have to go to the United States because they are going to kill us,” Arrieta said.
Seven years later Arrieta’s asylum case is pending, but she’s gotten work permits allowing her to clean businesses, work in media, and drive for a living. However, for thousands of others that’s not the case.
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Even with a formalized asylum case pending, getting working papers could take months.
“Asylum seekers are not authorized to work during the first 180 days that they arrive. But in reality, it’s the first seven or eight months,” said board-certified immigration expert attorney Frank Symphorien.
Symphorien explained that temporary protected status will now allow Venezuelans to work, travel, and have protection from deportation.
It also opens up a pathway to residency by allowing for an employer sponsor.
While it won’t change much for Arrieta, she calls it a blessing for her people.
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“My son is growing in peace. With security and peace. All thanks to the United States,” Arrieta added.
Temporary Protected Status applies to not just those seeking asylum, but also Venezuelans who have come here for economic reasons.
The federal government has yet to release a Federal Register notice, but that will explain eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures necessary for those re-registering and newly applying.
Symphorien noted that even if you have an asylum case pending, you should still apply for TPS.
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