Biden Administration Grants Temporary Protected Status To Venezuelans In US

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Biden administration just announced it is offering Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans in the United States.

That's as many as 320,000 eligible immigrants – many of them living right here in South Florida.

The Department of Homeland Security's declaration allows the government to grant provisional humanitarian protection, saying it's just not safe for Venezuelans to return home.

"The living conditions in Venezuela reveal a country in turmoil, unable to protect its own citizens," said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.  "It is in times of extraordinary and temporary circumstances like these that the United States steps forward to support eligible Venezuelan nationals already present here, while their home country seeks to right itself out of the current crises."

The protection will last for 18 months.

The administration is also reviewing sanctions against Venezuela's leaders.