Trump ends protections for 250,000 Venezuelan migrants, orders deportations

The Trump administration has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 256,000 Venezuelan migrants, paving the way for mass deportations in the coming weeks.

TPS, first granted under President Joe Biden in 2021 and later expanded in 2023, allowed eligible Venezuelans to obtain work permits and avoid removal. That protection will now expire on September 10, with deportations set to begin 60 days after publication of the Federal Register notice, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

A DHS spokesperson explained the decision, citing multiple national concerns.

“Weighing public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it’s clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America’s best interest,” the spokesperson said.

The official added that TPS itself had become a pull factor for illegal migration.

“Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively.”

The ruling affects not only those already under TPS but also pending applications—3,728 new requests and more than 102,000 renewals—which will now be canceled. To encourage voluntary return, Venezuelans who register their exit on the CBP Home app will reportedly be offered a free flight, a $1,000 bonus, and potential future immigration opportunities.

The move was made possible after the Supreme Court upheld DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s authority to revoke TPS despite earlier legal challenges. Trump had already moved in April to terminate Biden’s 2023 TPS expansion that had shielded 348,000 Venezuelans.

The announcement also came less than 24 hours after Trump revealed a U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan drug vessel linked to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang.

“You’ll see that we just, over the last few minutes literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat,” Trump said, adding a direct warning to traffickers: “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”

In Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced the developments, calling the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.”

The mass deportation plan marks one of Trump’s most sweeping immigration crackdowns since his return to the White House, and is expected to escalate tensions between Washington and Caracas in the months ahead.