GEORGETOWN, Del. - The Trump administration recently announced it has revoked the 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States, an extension that had been granted by the Biden administration until October 2026, just 10 days before the end of its term.
TPS allows individuals from designated countries to live and work in the U.S. when conditions in their home country are deemed unsafe.
Ziulin Moreno, a Venezuelan living in Georgetown, is among those who may be affected by the change.
"I am extremely worried not only for myself but for my compatriots because TPS somehow gave us the security and peace of mind by being in this country to be able to work, study, and do everything we are doing," Moreno said.
Rossana Arteaga Lopenza, of Casa de Venezuela Delaware, said returning home is not an option for many.
"The Venezuelans have their country kidnapped from the Nicolás Maduro regime," Arteaga Lopenza said. "It's not easy to be Venezuelan because we don't have a country to go back to, and that is the reason, the main reason why the temporary protection status was granted to Venezuelans."
Moreno said she felt safe and at home in Georgetown but now faces uncertainty about what comes next.
"I felt very comfortable, very safe here, and I said, well, this is a new home," she said. "I’m doing something that I love, something that fascinates me, but now I'm worried."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has until Saturday to decide the next steps for Venezuelans whose TPS protection expires in April, and until July 12 for those whose protection expires in September. If no action is taken, the program will be automatically extended for another six months.