New York City officials reported Wednesday that only 2,100 of the more than 40,000 adult migrants in its shelter system have applied for work authorization.
In September, Biden’s Department of Homeland Security extended temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers. Since the announcement, no migrant has received federal approval to work.
Approximately 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country before July 31, 2023, are eligible for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months and legally able to work. The DHS extended the TPS status to the migrants “due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning.”
The TPS program previously granted work authorization to 242,700 Venezuelan migrants who arrived in the U.S. before March 2021. Those who arrived after July are not eligible for the program.
