Soto, Salazar, Wasserman Schultz Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Florida Reps. Darren Soto (D-FL-09), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25) introduced the bipartisan Venezuela TPS Act of 2025, legislation designating Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status. This comes after U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the termination of Venezuela’s TPS extension by the Biden Administration, affecting more than half a million Venezuelans who currently hold protected status. 

“We are concerned by the Trump Administration’s actions to strip Venezuelans of Temporary Protected Status, parole, and other critical protections during a time of major instability in their country. In Central Florida, thousands of Venezuelans have fled political violence and joined family members already living in the United States, contributing to our economy, and working hard to help our community grow,” said Congressman Darren Soto. “It is insulting to turn our backs on this group. Now more than ever, we need to come together to protect our community from unjust treatment and unconstitutional deportations.” 

“The oppression of the Maduro regime and the total failure of socialism of the 21st century has created dangerous conditions in Venezuela and a constant threat of political persecution,” said Congresswoman Salazar. “That’s why I am proud to co-lead the Venezuela TPS Act of 2025—to ensure law-abiding Venezuelans currently in the United States can stay here until conditions improve and they are not forcibly returned to a brutal dictatorship. I will continue fighting for a free and prosperous Venezuela, led by its legitimate President Edmundo Gonzalez and the Iron Lady Maria Corina Machado.”

"It is simply wrong to subject law-abiding Venezuelan families to a criminal, murderous regime that openly and flagrantly violates human rights," said Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz. "TPS recipients are not criminals—they are here legally and nobody with a criminal record is eligible for protection. I'm proud to join this bipartisan effort to prevent Venezuelan families in my district from being unjustly torn apart while we continue to fight for a free and prosperous Venezuela under democratic leadership."

The Venezuela TPS Act of 2025 automatically designates Venezuela for TPS for an initial period of 18 months, with the option of renewal. Under TPS, Venezuelans would be shielded from deportation and granted work authorization, allowing individuals to pay taxes and contribute to their communities. The Act also provides for individuals to travel abroad for emergencies and extenuating circumstances.

Political instability, endemic corruption, and repression under Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime has led to massive food and medicine shortages, with millions living in poverty and suffering from food insecurity. Venezuela’s economy has contracted by more than 80% since 2014, which is more than twice the magnitude of the Great Depression in the United States. Due to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, Venezuelans have consistently been the leading nationality requesting asylum in the United States since 2016. As of June 2023, United Nations agencies believe that over 7.3 million Venezuelans have fled the country, many of whom have resettled in neighboring countries like Colombia and Brazil. 

Venezuelan nationals will be eligible for TPS if they: 

·    Have been continuously physically present in the United States since the date of the bill’s enactment;

·    Are admissible to the United States; and

·    Register for TPS in a manner established by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

For the full text of the bill, please click here. 

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