More than 600,000 Venezuelans stripped of Temporary Protected Status by the Trump administration last year are being encouraged to return home following the U.S. capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
"President [Donald] Trump's decisive action to remove Maduro marks a turning point for Venezuelans. Now, they can return to the country they love and rebuild its future," Matthew Tragesser, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said in a statement.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is granted to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary conditions. It provides eligible migrants with work authorization and temporary protection from deportation.
In April, the Trump administration terminated TPS granted to about 348,000 Venezuelans by the Biden administration in 2023.
In November, the administration terminated TPS for about 268,000 Venezuelans who were given the designation by the Biden administration in 2021.
Venezuela is "more free today than it was yesterday," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday.
Noem said former TPS holders could apply for "refugee status." But according to a December policy memo from USCIS, all pending asylum applications are on hold as part of a national security review.
Venezuelans are also affected by the Trump administration's pause on immigration benefit decisions for nationals of countries on the travel ban list, which includes Venezuela.
The Department of Homeland Security rejected interpretations that Noem's comments meant Venezuelans who lost TPS would now be considered for refugee admissions.
"This is not what Secretary Noem said," DHS wrote Sunday in a post on X.
"President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate Narco Terrorist dictator who stole from his own people. Secretary Noem ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans, and now they can go home to a country they love."
South Florida has the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the U.S., including many who were granted TPS.
Following Maduro's capture, celebrations broke out Saturday and Sunday across South Florida, reviving hopes among Venezuelans there that they may one day return home.
Maria Teresa Moreno, director of Vente Miami, a Venezuelan political movement aligned with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, said the moment could have implications beyond Venezuela's borders.
"The liberation of Venezuela may also represent the liberation of Nicaragua and Cuba, Colombia — all of the region that has been victims of these evil projects spread across the continent," Moreno said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.