Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) called for the restoration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans following the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces and the proposed regime change the country will face.
“There's no possible way that Venezuelans here could feel safe enough to be able to be returned to a country that is clearly on shaky ground,” Wasserman Schultz said in an interview with WPLG10.
The Congresswoman further elaborated in a post on X, claiming that President Donald Trump’s airstrikes of Venezuela are making it “critical to reinstate TPS” and that “Venezuela is clearly dangerous and unstable. It’s inhumane to send law-abiding immigrant families back into this mess.”
Wasserman Schultz has been a strong advocate for the continuation of TPS for Venezuelans, notably co-sponsoring the bipartisan Venezuela TPS Act of 2025 to grant TPS through congressional action. She has also led efforts to defend existing TPS designations against executive policy changes.
She argued for extending immigration protections for various groups, opposing the Trump administration's efforts to end TPS for Venezuelans and similar asylum programs, viewing the administration’s efforts as inhumane and counterproductive.
"TPS recipients are not criminals—they are here legally, and nobody with a criminal record is eligible for protection," Wasserman Schultz said in the press conference announcing the Venezuela TPS Act of 2025. "I'm proud to join this bipartisan effort to prevent Venezuelan families in my district from being unjustly torn apart. At the same time, we continue to fight for a free and prosperous Venezuela under democratic leadership."
In a bipartisan effort Florida Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (R) has also shown strong support for the program, joining Wasserman Schultz in co-sponsoring the TPS bill.
“The oppression of the Maduro regime has created dangerous conditions in Venezuela and a constant threat of political persecution. I am proud to co-lead the Venezuela TPS Act of 2025 - to ensure law-abiding Venezuelans currently in the United States can stay here until conditions improve,” Salazar said in a press conference alongside Wasserman Schultz.
