To help protect the roughly 600,000 Venezuelans in the United States from deportation, U.S. Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) on May 8 proposed a bipartisan bill that would provide them with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The Venezuela TPS Act of 2025, H.R. 3310, which Rep. Salazar cosponsored alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), would automatically designate TPS for Venezuelans for 18 months after the bill is enacted, with the option of renewal, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“The oppression of the Maduro regime and the total failure of socialism of the 21st century has created dangerous conditions in Venezuela and a constant threat of political persecution,” said Rep. Salazar, who represents approximately 40,000 Americans of Venezuelan descent in Florida’s 27th congressional district.
“That’s why 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 and they are not forcibly returned to a brutal dictatorship,” the congresswoman said.
Under TPS, Venezuelans would be shielded from deportation and granted work authorization, allowing them to pay taxes and contribute to their communities.
Additionally, H.R. 3310 would not protect any criminals, and all eligible individuals would be required to pass a background check. The bill also would allow individuals to travel abroad for emergencies and extenuating circumstances, the summary says.
Specifically, Venezuelan nationals would be eligible for TPS under H.R. 3310 if they are physically present in the U.S. on the bill’s enactment date; do not have a criminal record; and are properly registered for TPS with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, states the summary.
“We are concerned by the Trump administration’s actions to strip Venezuelans of [TPS], parole, and other critical protections during a time of major instability in their country,” said Rep. Soto. “It is insulting to turn our backs on this group. Now more than ever, we need to come together to protect our community from unjust treatment and unconstitutional deportations.”