WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Biden Administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela. FWD.us Director of Digital Campaigns Juan Escalante, a former DACA recipient born in Venezuela, issued the following statement:

“While we’re grateful that the Biden Administration has extended TPS for Venezuela, we are disappointed that the Administration has not redesignated TPS for the country, a move that would have protected hundreds of thousands of people living in the United States. Instead, these community members will now be at risk of being deported to a country in chaos where they continue to face unsafe conditions, placing them at extreme risk of violence and even death. The fact remains that in order to ensure that the more than 300,000 Venezuelans who’ve been living in the United States can remain in safety, Congress must pass permanent legislative protections. 

“My native homeland remains in terrible unrest, and the Venezuelans like my parents who have built their lives here – and all people seeking the right to live in safety with their families and communities – should be able to live with some measure of certainty and stability. 

“Similarly, the Biden Administration should also designate TPS for Mauritania and Ethiopia while individuals and families from these countries living in the U.S. would face terrible harms, including violence and the threat of enslavement, if they were forced to return. Lawmakers in Congress must act without any further delay to protect Venezuelans living with TPS and all undocumented individuals who are contributing to our country every single day, and who deserve to live in safety.”