Staff Videographer
1:37 PM on Nov 17, 2023 CST
With Dallas being home to about 17,000 Venezuelans, according to 2022 U.S. census data, the rapid changes on immigration policies regarding Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, have opened the doors to online misinformation.
TPS is a humanitarian program that allows individuals from designated countries facing crisis situations to stay in the United States temporarily.
In September, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced that Venezuela will receive an extension of 18 months for TPS due to the unsafe conditions in the country. These conditions include a high crime rate, lack of food and resources, and economic collapse.
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The extension applies to the almost half a million Venezuelans already in the U.S. TPS will not apply to Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. after July 31, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Confusion involving TPS eligibility requirements emerged after the Biden administration announced the changes.
“A lot of the misinformation on the side of people who feel this is providing benefits to somebody who is not qualified or worthy of this benefit come from the idea that ‘Oh, now they’re going to get a green card now they are going to be residence, now they are going to be citizens,’ and it’s important to know that that’s not the case,” said Dallas immigration attorney Haim Vasquez.
Vasquez emphasized that it is important that individuals applying for TPS receive legal advice from an attorney. Vasquez explained that TPS applicants may put themselves and their families at risk if they receive legal advice from non-licensed people posing as professional legal advisers.
He emphasized that misinformation often stems from the mistaken belief that TPS will automatically lead to a visa, residency or citizenship.
Impact to Venezuelans in North Texas
The policy changes surrounding TPS have a direct impact on the lives of thousands of Venezuelans in the region. TPS offers a lifeline to Venezuelan nationals, granting them temporary legal residence and work permits in the United States.
Venezuelans who are part of the program would continue to support themselves and their community by patronizing businesses like traditional Venezuelan restaurants and convenience stores that sell products from the country, and community groups.
“In the last year growth has been noticeable. We had been working on the business for two years, but it was like something regular. We did have sales, but you know, something more modest,” said Nayanais Mora, owner of Latin Market Venezuelan Treats in Far North Dallas. “It’s not like the popularity we have now, the number of people entering the store.”
Mora is a TPS recipient herself and said, “The people who are doing this (TPS), the paralegals, that’s the cards people take the most. There’s always one or two people leaving their business cards offering that service.”
Texas has the second largest concentration of Venezuelans in the nation, behind Florida, according to the 2022 U.S. census.
According to the U.S. census, Collin County has the highest number of Venezuelans in North Texas with 8,528, followed by Dallas County with 8,300, Denton County with 6,145 and Tarrant County with 2,799.
“I hope those people wise up and start working, so they don’t confuse people on how hardworking we Venezuelans are and talk high of Venezuelans,” said Mora.
What to know about TPS
TPS for Venezuela was extended and redesignated for 18 months from March 11, 2024 to Sept.10, 2025.
TPS is available to nationals of countries with TPS designation and stateless individuals who last resided in those countries.
Countries designated for TPS include: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.
To apply for TPS, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website for eligibility and application instructions. The 60-day reregistration period for existing beneficiaries under Venezuela 2021 begins Jan. 10, and continue through March 10.
It is important for those who are reregistering to do so during the registration period and not to wait until their Employment Authorization Document expires.
TPS protects recipients from deportation, grants work authorization and allows recipients to travel. However, it doesn’t lead to permanent residency. It doesn’t affect other immigration benefits or asylum applications.
Marena Gallo is a Poynter-Google News Initiative Misinformation fellow who reports on misinformation within the Hispanic community in North Texas. The Poynter-GNI fellowship places student journalists in newsrooms around the country, with an emphasis on publishers reaching underserved audiences. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control over this content.
Marena Gallo, Staff Videographer . Marena Gallo is a Google News Initiative-Poynter fellow. She joined the newsroom in October 2023 and covers mis- and disinformation in the local Hispanic community.
[email protected] @Marena_Gallo