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A group of 70 Democratic lawmakers demanded that the government of Donald Trump immediately restore Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, stating that the conditions in Venezuela remain "deeply unstable and dangerous," following the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
The initiative, led by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida), Darren Soto (Florida), and the highest-ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks (New York), was presented in a letter sent on January 9 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
In the document, lawmakers assert that the military operation launched by the Trump administration on January 3 to capture Maduro has led to increased instability in Venezuela and has resulted in a resurgence of repression, reported the newspaper El Nuevo Herald.
According to the letter, the Venezuelan regime, "still in power and emboldened," has intensified brutality against the population since then.
The congress members warned that hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans with legal status in the United States are about to lose their work authorization and face possible deportation in the coming weeks, which would have serious economic consequences for essential sectors in Florida and other states across the country.
The letter emphasizes that, although Maduro was captured and transferred to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, "his criminal accomplices remain in power," including the de facto interim president Delcy Rodríguez, the Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino López, and the Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello.
Lawmakers also reported that following the U.S. military operation, which included missile and drone strikes in densely populated areas of Caracas, the regime enacted a new law penalizing any expression of support for Maduro's removal from power.
According to reports, dozens of people have been arrested, including journalists, for text messages or social media posts.
"None of the Republicans signed the letter," confirmed Wasserman Schultz's office, although all of Florida's Democratic congressmen supported the initiative.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on January 4 the effective end of TPS for Venezuelans, stating that, following the capture of Maduro, the country provides conditions for their return.
The message, disseminated from an official DHS account, was met with alarm by human rights organizations and migrant communities.
Although the detention of the former president was celebrated by the Venezuelan diaspora, migrants and asylum seekers have warned that the danger still persists.
Testimonies gathered by U.S. media indicate that many Venezuelans fear being deported to a country where power remains concentrated in figures of Chavismo and repression continues.
Organizations defending migrants have warned that presenting the cancellation of TPS as a "mission accomplished" distorts the reality in Venezuela and could put lives at risk, in a context marked by internal tensions, institutional deterioration, and an unresolved social crisis.
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