The US Department of Homeland Security announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants, stating that Venezuela no longer meets the criteria for this classification. Meanwhile, Venezuela accused the United States of carrying out extrajudicial executions of Venezuelans.

The US department said in a statement on Wednesday that the decision is based on considerations related to national security, foreign policy, and the economy, noting that allowing Venezuelans to stay in the US “is no longer in the country’s interest.”

Data from the US Congress indicates that more than 256,000 Venezuelans were granted protection since 2021 during former President Joe Biden’s administration, with the classification set to expire on September 10.

Temporary Protected Status allows holders work permits and protection from deportation, qualifying individuals from countries experiencing natural disasters, armed conflict, or extraordinary events.

The administration of President Donald Trump began steps to terminate the status in February, but a federal court halted the decision in March before the Supreme Court allowed the government to begin deportations.

Last month, a court of appeals ruled that the Trump administration likely acted unlawfully when it ended the protection status that covered about 600,000 Venezuelans living in the US since Biden’s term.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accused the US on Wednesday of carrying out “extrajudicial executions” after targeting a boat in the Caribbean Sea that Washington said was carrying drugs en route to US territory.

Cabello said on a television program that the attack killed 11 people, questioning, “Is this acceptable?”