It is time to provide the same immigration protection to people from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Nepal.

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Chicago, IL. — The Biden-Harris administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans who arrived to the United States before July 31, 2023. The measure will grant 18 months of protection against deportation, work permits and a social security number for those who apply and are found eligible for  this protection. This announcement is the result of months of advocacy by organizations and networks such as Alianza Americas, and with the support of local and federal elected officials.

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“As a network of Latin American and Caribbean immigrants, we congratulate the Biden-Harris administration on its decision to provide Venezuelan nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). However, this action could have been taken much earlier. Venezuelan nationals have been seeking safety and protection in the United States for months. The new TPS designation will help alleviate the hardships that Venezuelan asylum seekers have faced in several U.S. states, including New York, Illinois and Washington DC,” stated Oscar Chacón, Executive Director of Alianza Americas.  

“We urge the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expeditiously approve all TPS applications filed by Venezuelan individuals who qualify for the newly announced protection. We also demand that work permit applications be approved as soon as possible for all TPS applicants. When the resolution of these applications involves long waits, people lose confidence and question if the intent of these programs was truly to help. In cities like New York, Chicago, and Washington DC, there are Venezuelans who applied for work permits over a year ago, and have yet to receive their documents,” stated Diego F. Samayoa, Associate Director of Centro Romero, a member organization of Alianza Americas.

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“The arguments that led to a new TPS designation for Venezuelan nationals, as was done for individuals from Ukraine, are also relevant to the cases of nationals from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, and Guatemala who already reside in the United States. Therefore, the Biden-Harris Administration must grant this same protection to such persons. If not, Many families could be torn apart,” added Yanira Arias, Alianza Americas’ National Campaigns Manager, who has lived under TPS protection for more than 20 years.

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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.