The Biden administration is granting Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans who arrived in the country prior to July 2023, a move officials called a "relief" to a crisis straining New York's resources.
The news comes as New York City grapples with feeding and sheltering more than 60,000 migrants, most of whom are ineligible to work under current federal law for at least 180 days after filing an application for asylum. Officials say roughly 40% of migrants who have arrived since last year are from Venezuela.
"After reviewing the country conditions in Venezuela and consulting with interagency partners, Secretary Mayorkas determined that an 18-month TPS extension and redesignation are warranted based on Venezuela’s increased instability and lack of safety due to the enduring humanitarian, security, political, and environmental conditions," the Homeland Security announcement read Wednesday night.
Federal officials said the TPS redesignation qualifies hundreds of thousands of migrants immediately eligibility for work authorization.
Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul have been pressing Biden to use his executive authority to intervene and grant access to TPS, which would not subject migrants to the 180-day waiting period. The Biden administration is also planning to expedite work authorizations so that they will be processed in 30 days, according to the officials.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
As News 4 previously reported, Democrats like Hillary Clinton and big donors turned up the heat on the president, some withholding donations to the campaign over his handling of the issue. In a statement, the Biden administration said that the president "has called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform since his first day in office."
A White House official said that Venezuelan nationals will be eligible to submit work permit applications immediately, and DHS will process applications faster for those who arrive using lawful pathways — with the process set to take on average about four weeks.
The announcement explains why Hochul was tight-lipped on Wednesday when asked for specifics on her private conversation with Biden on Tuesday night, according to a source in her administration who says the governor was aware this was coming.
The New York State Department of Labor already has a plan to connect work eligible migrants with work opportunities so that there will be jobs lined up when the works papers arrive, according to a state government source.
Top Democrats in the state applauded Wednesday's decision, referring to the federal intervention as a "welcome step forward."
"As a result of this decision, immigrants will be temporarily allowed to work, fill needed jobs and support their families while awaiting an asylum determination. The decision will also substantially reduce the cost to New York taxpayers with respect to the sheltering asylum-seekers. It is estimated by DHS that more than half of the immigrants in New York will be affected by this decision, we thank the Biden administration," U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a joint statement.
Adams also expressed support for the move, while calling on the administration to extend TPS to the additional tens of thousands of migrants in the city's care who fled from other countries. The mayor estimates the change will help about 15,000 people within the city's shelter system -- roughly fewer than one in four.
