In response to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem vacating the January 17, 2025, notice that extended a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Venezuela, Abby Maxman, Oxfam America’s President & CEO, said:
“Revoking TPS is not only inhumane but also economically disastrous. TPS recipients are integral to sectors like healthcare, construction, and agriculture. An end to protections would disrupt businesses and devastate families, many with children who are U.S. citizens. The Trump administration’s efforts to end this program for nearly 600,000 approved TPS holders from Venezuela—and potentially additional countries—will only serve to increase inequality and represents a direct attack on families and communities who have sought safety and stability in the United States as they flee dangerous conditions in their home countries.
“The Trump administration’s decision to end TPS underscores a broader agenda of vilifying migrants and using them as political pawns to divide communities. Many TPS holders have been here for decades, raising families, contributing to local economies, and enriching their communities. Revoking their status would force them to return to unsafe and unstable conditions, placing their lives in immediate danger.
“We cannot allow this attack on TPS holders to continue, and we will not let progress toward a more equal future be reversed. Oxfam calls on policymakers to protect these individuals by ensuring a permanent legal status for them and preventing unjust deportations. Rather than punishing those seeking refuge, we must address the root causes of migration including declining democracies, weak economies, humanitarian crises, and climate displacement, and build policies that prioritize justice, safety, and dignity for all.”
/ENDS