Miami-Dade commissioners urge Trump to reconsider ending TPS

Miami-Dade commissioners urge Trump to reconsider ending TPS


MIAMI – The Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the Trump administration to maintain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all communities covered under the program, including Venezuelans.

Republican Commissioner Rene Garcia, whose district includes Hialeah, introduced the resolution, emphasizing the importance of TPS for the county’s large immigrant population.

“Our community right now is home to many Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Hondurans. A wide variety of immigrants who are benefiting from TPS,” Garcia said.

The resolution comes as Venezuelan activists warn that revoking TPS for more than 300,000 Venezuelans could have a devastating impact on South Florida’s economy, particularly in Doral, home to a large Venezuelan population.

Juan Jose Cabrera, a Venezuelan restaurant worker in Doral, said he has been waiting for 230 days for a response to his TPS application.

“I’ve been waiting and what I’m hearing is not uplifting for thousands of us,” said Cabrera, who fled Venezuela’s dictatorship under Nicolás Maduro and has also applied for political asylum.

Garcia said the resolution is meant to show solidarity with TPS recipients and highlight their contributions to the community.

“We want to make sure that the Trump administration understands how important these people are to our community,” Garcia said.

While the resolution was largely symbolic, it passed with unanimous support from commissioners present. However, two Republican commissioners, Roberto Gonzalez and Kevin Cabrera – President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Panama – stepped away from the vote.

When asked about their absence, Garcia declined to speculate.

“You would have to ask them those questions,” he said. “My point was to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in our community who have been big contributors to our society.”

CBS News Miami reached out to Gonzalez and Cabrera for comment, but neither responded.



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