SILVER SPRING, Maryland – On Monday, the Supreme Court granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration that will allow the administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans covered by the 2023 designation. This move will affect nearly 350,000 Venezuelans in the United States, making them vulnerable to deportation.

"We have said it before: arbitrarily revoking the legal status of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people who expected to be able to remain safely in the United States is cruel and unwarranted," said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC executive director. "Venezuela remains highly unsafe, as our own State Department acknowledges in warning U.S. citizens not to travel there. We urge the administration to change course and create legal pathways to safety for Venezuelans who fled an oppressive regime and deteriorated economy. As a Catholic organization, we call for mercy and integrity in our systems, and for the prioritization of protecting human life and dignity."

"The Supreme Court's surprising decision to issue this order on the emergency docket creates immediate uncertainty for Venezuelans and legal practitioners aiding them," said Ilissa Mira, CLINIC senior attorney. "Across the CLINIC network, legal practitioners will be scrambling to assist Venezuelan clients who may soon lose legal status and work authorization and who greatly fear returning to Venezuela."

"We must not abandon our Venezuelan brothers and sisters who live among us in our communities and who ask for our country's protection in this time of great need," continued Gallagher. "We join many others in calling for a just solution for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans currently relying on TPS."