Boston (September 21, 2023) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released the following statement on the Biden administration redesignating Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS):

“We applaud President Biden’s decision to redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants. This announcement will grant almost 500,000 Venezuelan migrants who are unable to safely return to their home country the ability to receive temporary protection in the United States. It will also mean that many Venezuelans currently in Massachusetts and across the country will have the ability to work legally to support themselves and their families and contribute meaningfully to their communities back home. This decision will provide critically needed relief as communities across our Commonwealth continue doing everything they can to assist new immigrant arrivals.”

“We are also grateful for the Biden administration’s newly-announced commitment to reducing the time it takes to approve most parolees’ work authorizations—from an estimated three months down to thirty days. This is welcome progress in response to our letter to Secretary Mayorkas. We will continue to urge the Administration to do everything in its power to ensure that migrants have the job security and reassurance they need to build a better future for their families.”

Last month, Senators Markey and Warren, along with the entire Massachusetts delegation, wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur M. Jaddou, urging them to streamline work authorizations for individuals paroled into the United States, which would lessen the strain on available humanitarian and housing resources.

In July 2023, Senators Markey and Warren joined Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and 24 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to redesignate Venezuela and Nicaragua for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

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