Miami mayor urges Trump to restore TPS for Venezuelans
Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins called on President Donald Trump to immediately reinstate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, arguing that the U.S. military operation capturing President Nicolás Maduro has made the country too unstable for return and that ending TPS in early 2025 was 'reckless, dangerous, and wrong.' Higgins’ demand comes as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defends the termination, says former TPS holders can instead apply for refugee status, and DHS publicly touts that Noem ended TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who can now 'go home to a country that they love,' despite ongoing humanitarian crisis and mass displacement.
📌 Key Facts
- Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins issued a statement on or before Jan. 4, 2026 urging President Trump to 'immediately' reinstate TPS for Venezuelans following the U.S. operation that captured Nicolás Maduro.
- The Trump administration ended TPS for Venezuelans in early 2025 after the U.S. Supreme Court in May and October allowed it to move forward, affecting more than 350,000 people previously protected from deportation and allowed to work.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended ending TPS in a Fox News interview, saying those affected can apply for refugee status, and DHS later posted that more than 500,000 Venezuelans whose TPS was ended 'can go home to a country that they love.'
- UNHCR estimates at least 7.9 million people have fled Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuelan immigrants represented close to 3 percent of the total population of the greater Miami area in 2023.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Florida is home to about 341,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti combined, many of whom face residency uncertainty due to TPS changes.
Florida is home to about 341,000 immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti. They may soon lose residency — WLRN
The Venezuelan crisis is caused by years of hyperinflation, rampant corruption, economic mismanagement, and heavy dependence on oil revenues.
Venezuela crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help — World Vision
Around 82.4 percent of Venezuelan households live in poverty conditions and around 50.5 percent in extreme poverty as of a 2023 survey.
Poverty and inequality in Venezuela - statistics & facts — Statista
Households headed by a Venezuelan immigrant had a median annual income of $71,900 in 2023, compared to $78,700 for all immigrant-led households and $77,800 for native-led households.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
89% of Republicans compared with 44% of Democrats say arrests of immigrants in the country illegally should be allowed at protests or rallies, indicating partisan divides on immigration enforcement.
Americans' Views of Deportations and Immigration Enforcement — Pew Research Center