DORAL, Fla. – Doral is home to a large and typically vocal Venezuelan exile community.
Now some on Temporary Protective Status who came to the land of the free to escape Nicolas Maduro’s brutal regime are hiding in the shadows, says Venezuelan-American Caucus Executive Director Adelys Ferro.
“It is impossible to have a demonstration right now, when ICE can show up and take them away,” she said. “That is the reason more than 8,000,000 have fled the country.”
Maureen Porras is the city’s vice mayor and an immigration attorney with impacted clients.
“They don’t know whether to show up to work, to show up to school,” she said.
“Can I go out from the house? Is it safe for me to go out?” added Ferro. “There are people who have been receiving some pro bono mental health help because some people got really bad panic attacks, anxiety attacks. We are all very nervous.
This comes as the Biden administration’s 18 month TPS extension was vacated.
“I rolled it back to the six months it has always been,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “This program has been in place for years. We are going to make sure it is used properly. When the president gives a directive, DHS will follow it.
The focus is South Florida is on Saturday, when DHS is expected to either extend the 2023 designation, take no action – which means it will automatically renew for six months - or cancel it.
“I think they wanted to cancel it they would have done it already,” said Porras. “The TPS designation for 2023 does not expire until April of this year regardless of what decision DHS makes on Saturday. The expiration (for 2023 designation) is until April, no matter what happens Saturday.”
Porras added that concerns could be fueled by a simple fact.
“It’s complicated, it’s very complicated,” she said.
Which is why she has taken to social media to answer questions.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga told Local 10 News’ Christina Vazquez on Thursday that they stand in solidarity with exiles seeking legal pathways to contribute to our community.
“We turn to our federal leaders, our senators, our representatives, who have worked tirelessly to find a solution, and we will continue to advocate for those solutions who are here and want to follow the rules and follow the law,” she said.
Porras gave insight to another element that is adding to the complication and perhaps underpinning the fear.
“They have also heard about the new expedited order of removal that was also issued, removed without seeing an immigration judge,” she said.
Which could intersect with some TPS recipients depending on the years they have been here, plus they are seeing video of ICE raids, she said.
“ICE can come into any public space, but in order for them to enter into any private space, they need either a search warrant or an arrest warrant,” said Porras. “So I am advising business owners to have that information ready so they can protect themselves and their employees, and because people are scared.”
Local 10 reached out to Sen. Rick Scott, who replied with the following statement:
“While TPS protections currently remain in place, President Trump is right to review and reverse Biden’s last minute broad extension of TPS so this administration can properly ensure that anyone who entered our country under the Biden administration is well vetted and eligible for protection, given Biden’s open border policies and actions that hindered our ability to properly vet true asylum seekers. Former president Joe Biden dismantled our nation’s immigration system, including legitimate programs set up to help provide refuge to those fleeing dangerous regimes, and allowed the illegitimate dictator Maduro to take full advantage by sending dangerous criminals, like Tren de Aragua, to terrorize our country.”
Sen. Rick Scott
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