'Beyond betrayal.' Venezuelans in Florida are angry at Trump immigration policy

www.kpbs.org 'Beyond betrayal.' Venezuelans in Florida are angry at Trump immigration policy

Trump's decision to remove Temporary Protected Status means more than 500,000 Venezuelans may be forced to leave the U.S. Venezuelan Americans, many of whom voted for Trump, call it a betrayal.

Summary

Venezuelan migrants in Florida feel betrayed after the Trump administration moved to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 people.

Many Venezuelan-Americans, who backed Trump in 2024, now fear deportation despite their contributions to the U.S. economy.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem justified the decision by alleging Venezuela sent criminals to the U.S., a claim community leaders reject.

The policy shift coincides with Trump officials negotiating with Venezuela's authoritarian regime, sparking criticism from Republican lawmakers and concerns among other TPS-protected immigrant groups.

27 comments

Out of curiosity, how could they vote though? Isn't a citizenship a requirement?
- The ones who voted were citizens. The simple answer to why they voted for Trump is that when you're fleeing an oppressive socialist state, you don't want to vote for anything resembling socialism, and they didn't expect Trump to end temporary protected status for their friends and families.
  
  Makes sense that way. Well, as others mentioned, leopards eating faces everywhere... Though looking from EU - there is no socialism in US in both parties. :)
  
  It would make sense if they’d voted against oppression instead of against socialism.
  
  Sure, agreed. The explanation made sense, not their logic.
  
  Perceived socialism.
- It said they backed him, which just means publicly spoke in his favor. But some of them may have their citizenship. That is often a goal of migrants