The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared Wednesday that it would offer work authorization and temporary legal status to nearly half a million Venezuelan migrants already in the country.
Under the declaration, approximately 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. before July 31 of 2023 will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months. The work permit eligibility and deportation protections were extended to Venezuelan migrants "due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning," the DHS claimed.
The program previously granted work authorization and protections to Venezuelan migrants who arrived before March 2021. The DHS reported that there are 242,700 migrants already utilizing the program.
