Overview
- DHS said Temporary Protected Status was terminated for more than 500,000 Venezuelans and argued they can return following the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro.
- DHS later rejected posts claiming Secretary Kristi Noem invited domestic refugee applications, even as she said on Fox News that TPS holders can apply for refugee status.
- Tricia McLaughlin, a senior DHS official, urged Venezuelans with TPS to go home, framing Maduro’s detention as a reason to return.
- Refugee relief is sharply constrained by a fiscal 2026 admissions cap of 7,500 and rules that generally require applying from outside the United States.
- Legal challenges to the TPS rollbacks continue after a federal judge found DHS acted with unusual haste, while Miami’s mayor urged the administration to restore protections.