Members of the Miami-Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus blasted the Supreme Court’s decision to end temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans across the country.
The ruling on Monday came unexpectedly to many people who will now be vulnerable for deportation.
“Three hundred and fifty thousand Venezuelans. Law abiding people, families, workers, neighbors have had their legal status ripped away for no reason,” said the group’s president Abel Delgado.
The caucus held a press conference Monday night to make their voices heard on the 8-1 decision by the high court.
“The Trump administration said that they were going to go after the undocumented criminals and thieves. Instead, they are taking work permits away from the people that we depend on,” said Delgado.
The decision came due to an emergency appeal by the Trump administration after a federal judge in California ruled that the program must stay in place instead of expiring last month.
The group said the decision was far from the America they believe in and they will speak up on the steps the administration is taking on immigration.
“We know exactly what they are doing, and while they have abandoned our community in Miami-Dade County, we as Hispanic democrats will not turn our back on our community,” said Delgado.
Earlier in the day, Jose Antonio Colina, the president of a non-profit institution focused on Venezuelans who were politically persecuted, said with this decision, many Venezuelans will have to find other ways to stay legal in the country.
“In the short term, Venezuelans under TPS will have to find another way to stay in the U.S. legally with the help of qualified immigration attorneys,” he said.
The news from the highest court also triggered responses from members of South Florida’s congressional delegation.
Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz condemned the Supreme Court order. In a statement, she wrote in part:
“Venezuelan TPS holders fled the Maduro regime and built lives in America. They sought refuge in America from his oppression and tyranny. This atrocious decision allows Trump to deport non-criminals back to this murderous dictator.”
On the other side of the aisle, Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar echoed a similiar sentiment. In a statement, she wrote in part:
“I’m deeply disappointed with today’s Supreme Court decision to abruptly end TPS for over 300,000 Venezuelans. We should protect those fleeing tyranny, not return them to it.”
Both congresswoman have said that they will try to find a way to help those Venezuelans affected by the decision.