DORAL, Fla. – Venezuelan American Caucus advocates reacted Monday to President Donald Trump’s administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans and to negotiate with Nicolás Maduro.
Adelys Ferro, the founder of VAC, said Venezuelan Americans in South Florida felt betrayed after Trump’s administration announced TPS ends in April as part of a case-by-case basis review policy.
“It’s shameful and cruel,” Ferro said.
In response, VAC decided to work with the League of United Latin American Citizens, an established civil rights organization founded in Texas. Ferro said every Venezuelan, even those who are applying for asylum, are at risk of deportation under Trump.
“We are a target because of how we look like,” Ferro said in Spanish during a news conference at El Arepazo, a Venezuelan restaurant in Doral.
Ferro also said the Republicans who were campaigning for Trump promised the Venezuelan-American community that they had no intention of getting rid of TPS, which also allowed driver’s licenses and work permits.
“They used us,” Ferro said.
VAC was aware that Trump wanted to target members of the Tren De Aragua, a multinational gang that started in a Venezuelan prison.
Ferro said it was clear to her that these criminals were the minority and that the estimated 600,000 Venezuelans who were fleeing the political and economic crisis and have been contributing to the U.S. economy were the majority.
Venezuelan-American advocates also said they were in shock Friday after they had voted for Trump with the expectation that he was going to be tough on Nicolás Maduro, and not engage in negotiations with him.
Last year, former President Joe Biden’s administration secured the release of Alex Saab, 52, from a federal prison in Miami and turned him over to Maduro who in turn released 10 Americans.
On Friday, Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy, released a photo on X announcing that he had met with Maduro in Caracas to secure the release of six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela.
“Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua. Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back.”
Trump later clarified his position during a news conference.
“I’ve been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro,” Trump said. “They’ve treated us not so good, but they’ve treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly.”
Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term with the support of Russia and China despite the opposition’s effort to publish evidence showing Edmundo González as the victor.
“I have seen three U.S. presidents pass before me,” Maduro said during a national address about negotiations Friday. ”This is the fourth term, and our message has been one: We want to build relationships of respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty.”
The United Nations estimates there are more than 7.7 million Venezuelan refugees since the ongoing exodus started in 2013 when Maduro first took office.
