U.S. officials say conditions now allow Venezuelans previously covered by Temporary Protected Status to return home after the Trump administration captured President Nicolás Maduro and ended TPS protections.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Many of the roughly 600,000 Venezuelans who had been living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status can now return to their home country following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In a Jan. 4 statement shared publicly by DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, the department said Venezuelans can now return to a country experiencing peace and stability. McLaughlin made the remarks in a public post on X, which included a media clip outlining the administration’s position.
Temporary Protected Status allows foreign nationals to remain in the United States when conditions in their home country make return unsafe. The designation is determined by the DHS secretary and is typically granted during periods of armed conflict, environmental disaster, epidemic, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. While under TPS, recipients are considered not removable and may receive authorization to work.
TPS for Venezuelans was first established in 2021, when the Biden administration instituted the designation for approximately 250,000 Venezuelan nationals living in the United States. In 2023, the population covered by TPS expanded by roughly 350,000 individuals, bringing the total to about 600,000.
That protection has since been rolled back under the Trump administration. In February 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the 2023 TPS designation. Later, in September 2025, DHS also ended the 2021 designation. At the time, Maduro remained in power, complicating efforts to return Venezuelans to their country.
That obstacle, DHS officials say, has now been removed.
“President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate Narco Terrorist dictator who stole from his own people,” DHS said in a Jan. 4 statement posted publicly. “Secretary Noem ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans, and now they can go home to a country that they love.”
Maduro’s arrest has prompted sharply divided reactions among U.S. lawmakers.
In a Jan. 3 statement, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., criticized President Donald Trump, accusing him of conducting “reckless and unconstitutional operations” in Venezuela. Duckworth said Congress must authorize acts of war and argued that the administration acted without justification, transparency, or a defined plan for regional stability.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed those concerns during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he said the United States was not at war with Venezuela. “We are at war against drug trafficking organizations and not a war against Venezuela,” Rubio said.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also weighed in, writing in a Jan. 3 post that the idea of the Trump administration potentially running Venezuela should “strike fear” in Americans. Schumer said he had been assured multiple times that the administration was not pursuing regime change, and he alleged the operation was meant to distract from domestic issues.
U.S. officials, however, said the action was necessary due to Maduro’s refusal to alter his course. According to administration officials cited in a separate report, the president offered multiple opportunities for de-escalation.
Vice President JD Vance echoed that position in a Jan. 3 post, stating that Maduro was repeatedly warned that drug trafficking must stop and that stolen oil must be returned to the United States.
Maduro and his wife were formally indicted in the Southern District of New York on Saturday. The charges follow earlier indictments from 2020, when Maduro and 14 other Venezuelan officials were accused of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, corruption, and related offenses.
At the time, then–U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said the defendants “expressly intended” to flood the United States with cocaine, accusing Maduro of deliberately using narcotics as a weapon against the American public.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated those allegations in a Jan. 3 statement, saying Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, weapons offenses, and related crimes, and that he and his wife would soon face prosecution in U.S. courts.
News of Maduro’s capture sparked celebrations among Venezuelans across the world, including in Spain, Latin America, and the United States. In Santiago, Chile, Venezuelan expatriate Khaty Yanez said the fall of the dictatorship marked a turning point for the country. Another Venezuelan, Jose Gregorio, described the moment as the culmination of years of struggle.
Since 2014, an estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans, or about 20 percent of the population, have fled the country due to food shortages, economic collapse, and political instability, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration.
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