Venezuelan family in Minnesota still hopeful despite Trump's revocation of TPS
MINNEAPOLIS — Over the weekend, the Trump administration ended a program that temporarily protected many Venezuelans from deportation.
That means they could lose their right to live and work here and be sent back to a country previously deemed too dangerous.
Six years ago, Patricia Aguilar fled Venezuela due to economic turmoil and political instability.
"There were weeks we spent 72 hours without electricity," Aguilar recalled. "Weeks without running water."
She landed in Minnesota legally with a tourist visa before the U.S. government granted families like hers Temporary Protected Status, giving them protection from deportation, the ability to work and the freedom to live without fear.
Like many Venezuelans, Aguilar sought refuge and a chance at a new life.
Aguilar started going to school to learn English. She says it was key to unlocking a better future for her family.
That stability now hangs by a thread after the Trump administration announced the end of TPS for more than 300,000 Venezuelans.
"We really built a life in these years because we were desperate for an opportunity that our country didn't give us," she said.
Above all a chance at a childhood for her 10-year-old son who's lived in Minnesota most of his life.
As many face this looming uncertainty, the hope for an extension grows while the clock ticks down and the fear of losing everything becomes real.
The Trump administration says there are notable improvements in Venezuela that allow migrants to return home. More than 300,000 Venezuelans covered under a 2023 TPS designation will lose their protected status in two months.
