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Many Venezuelans in the United States do not know what the future holds. The Supreme Court ruled that 350,000 may be stripped of their legal status. NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán reports.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Monday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court was short and unsigned. It allowed the Trump administration to revoke the temporary protected status, or TPS, of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, but it did not provide additional details. This has caused confusion and extreme concerns, says Ahilan Arulanantham. He's with the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA and one of the lawyers representing the Venezuelans.
AHILAN ARULANANTHAM: Definitely one reading of the decision is that the 350,000 Venezuelan TPS holders have just lost their status and employment authorization right now.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: He said it's up to the Trump administration to decide the next steps. When ending the Biden-era TPS extension for Venezuelans, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said continuing the program is contrary to U.S. national interests. Noem basically said that because some Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. have ties to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, TPS for every Venezuelan should be terminated. A spokeswoman for DHS called the ruling, quote, "a win for the American people and the safety of our communities." But for plaintiff Cecilia Gonzalez, the ruling is nothing more than devastating. She fled Venezuela in 2017.
CECILIA GONZALEZ: This administration and their cruel choices are disregarding any basic humanity that we're seeking for.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: According to U.S. law, presidents have the power to grant TPS to immigrants of a specific country if conditions there prevent them from returning safely. In Venezuela, political persecution, violence and other problems have pushed Gonzalez and about 8 million others out of their country since 2014.
GONZALEZ: Returning to Venezuela is not safe at all. The administration have acknowledged the risks.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: But DHS Secretary Noem said recently the administration believes conditions have improved there. That's despite the State Department cautioning Americans, with the agency's highest-level advisory, not to travel to Venezuela, citing the high risk of wrongful detention, terrorism and kidnappings, poor health infrastructure and other serious challenges. Attorneys for the Venezuelans say they will continue to appeal this case in the district court.
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR News.
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