U.S. President Donald Trump (AFP).

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security moved on Wednesday to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan immigrants, a program implemented during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

The department stated that Venezuela no longer meets the requirements for TPS.

Temporary Protected Status is granted to individuals whose countries experience natural disasters, armed conflict, or extraordinary events, providing eligible immigrants with work permits and temporary protection from deportation.

A department spokesperson said in a statement, “Considering public safety, national security, immigration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it is clear that allowing Venezuelans to remain in the United States is not in the country’s interest.”

According to data published by the Congressional Research Service in December, more than 256,000 Venezuelans received TPS under the 2021 designation. The designation is set to expire on September 10.

The Trump administration took initial steps to terminate TPS for Venezuelans in February, less than a month after Trump returned to the White House.

Despite a federal court rejecting this move in March, the Supreme Court allowed the government to begin deportation proceedings.

Last month, a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration likely acted unlawfully when it ended TPS protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S. since former Democratic President Biden’s term.