In just a matter of hours, more than 250,000 Venezuelans across the United States — including tens of thousands living in South Florida — will lose their protection from deportation.
Temporary Protected Status set to expire
For the past several years, they’ve been shielded under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, a federal program that allows migrants from unstable countries to live and work legally in the U.S. But as the clock runs out on Friday before midnight, that protection will disappear.
For many families, the fear is immediate and deeply personal. One Venezuelan woman — who asked to be identified only as María — spoke to CBS News Miami under the condition of anonymity.
“My family and myself, we are desperate because this happened so fast,” she said. “I feel persecuted… I’m shocked. I don’t know how my next week will be.”
Families face uncertainty as TPS ends
María, like roughly 260,000 Venezuelans, built a life in South Florida under TPS — working, paying taxes, and supporting her family. But starting Saturday, she will once again be considered an undocumented immigrant.
“I’m scared because I see in the news that ICE will take you,” she added.
Supreme Court ruling cleared the path
The crisis stems from an Oct. 3 Supreme Court decision, which sided with the federal government and cleared the way for the expiration of TPS protections for Venezuelans. The ruling affected roughly 350,000 Venezuelans nationwide, including the additional 260,000 whose status ends Nov. 7.
Without TPS, those individuals lose not only their deportation protection but also their work permits and driver’s licenses.
Attorneys urge asylum applications quickly
Immigration attorney Willie Allen, who has practiced in South Florida for more than four decades, says Venezuelans now face an urgent deadline.
“They now have to apply for asylum,” Allen explained. “Their year starts to run out now that the TPS is expired. I think it’s an argument that will have some validity.”
But applying for asylum can be a long, complicated process, and not everyone qualifies. For many, it’s their only hope.
Policy reversal sparks confusion and fear
TPS for Venezuelans was first granted in 2021 and later expanded in 2023 under President Joe Biden, in response to Venezuela’s deepening political and economic crisis. Just days before leaving office, Biden extended the protection for 18 months, through October 2026.
But the new administration under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, appointed by President Donald Trump, reversed that decision — arguing that conditions in Venezuela no longer justified the special status.
María says she doesn’t understand the reversal.
“Now the whole world knows about terrorism and narcotraffic in my country,” she said. “So now I feel Venezuela is even worse than before TPS.”
Midnight deadline marks loss of footing
For her, and for hundreds of thousands of others who fled political persecution and economic collapse, midnight on Friday will mark not just a paperwork change — but the end of their legal footing in the only country they now call home.
