For Immediate Release
September 21, 2023
Contact: [email protected]
MIAMI — Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced a number of new measures which greatly increase access to work authorization and temporary status for certain individuals. Among these measures are the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
With this announcement, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who arrived in the United States before July 31, 2023, will become eligible to apply for a two-year temporary status, including work authorization. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there are currently around 242,700 TPS beneficiaries under Venezuela’s existing TPS designation and an additional 472,000 Venezuelans currently in the U.S. who may be eligible under the redesignation.
In recent years millions of Venezuelans have been forced to flee their country to escape political violence, insecurity, and lack of access to essential needs and services.
“In redesignating TPS, the Biden Administration recognizes the dire situation millions of Venezuelans are facing, and we applaud this decision,” said Cindy Woods, National Policy Counsel at Americans for Immigrant Justice. “However, the Administration’s continued use of deterrence-based polices that unlawfully penalize asylum seekers based solely on their manner of entry means an unknown number of Venezuelans who continue to flee their country in search of safety will be subjected to flawed expedited removal screenings and the unlawful asylum ban.”
The Administration also announced it will reduce the median processing time for work permits applications for individuals paroled into the United States under the Cuban, Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) humanitarian parole programs and those who entered with CBP One appointments from 90 to 30 days and extend the validity of certain work permits, including for asylum seekers with pending applications, from 2 to 5 years.
“The steps announced by the Biden Administration to speed up work authorization application approvals and extend their validity to five years is a step in the right direction,” continued Woods. “The capacity to work and provide for oneself and family is a fundamental right. These changes will positively impact thousands of asylum seekers and parolees who will more quickly be able to provide for themselves and reduce the costs and administrative red tape of the renewal process.”
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Americans for Immigrant Justice (AI Justice) is an award-winning non-profit law firm that fights for justice for immigrants through a combination of direct representation, impact litigation, advocacy and outreach. Follow on Twitter and Instagram. Visit aijustice.org.