Miami Venezuelans ask Trump to defer deportations, extend TPS, amid earthquakes
Venezuelan organizations in Miami will ask President Trump to grant immigration protection measures to Venezuelans in the United States to prevent them from being deported following the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela.
The death toll climbed to at least 920 people Friday, with more than 3,500 injured, according to figures provided by Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. Authorities warn the death toll will likely climb.
READ MORE: Venezuela quake death toll nears 1,000 as hundreds more remain missing
The two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck just 39 seconds apart Wednesday evening and devastated large areas of Caracas and the neighboring state of La Guaira, where authorities say the destruction was especially severe.
Helene Villalonga, a Venezuelan activist and president of the Multicultural Association of Activists for Voice and Expression, told the Miami Herald the group will ask Trump for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in a letter Monday.
“The president has the power to activate TPS given the circumstances, just as was done for Honduras when Hurricane Mitch hit or Haiti for their 2010 earthquake—precedents that granted TPS to nationals of those countries,” she said from a news conference Friday at El Arepazo, a rallying spot for Venezuelans in Doral, home to thousands of Venezuelans. The restaurant was also the site of an earthquake relief donation drive.
“Please: Activate TPS for Venezuelans.” she said. “Our community would be eternally grateful to see these Venezuelans protected.”
The Trump administration ended TPS last year for the approximately 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States, many residing in South Florida.
She says Venezuelans should qualify for TPS because of the magnitude of the disaster. The government reported 383 buildings have collapsed or have been severely damaged and nearly 3,000 families have been displaced.
On June 24, hours before the first earthquake hit, more than 164 Venezuelans had arrived from the United States in a deportation flight. They were housed at the Hotel La Granada, but the vast majority of these Venezuelans died when the building collapsed, she said.
“This isn’t about politics. Today, we ask that emergency protections be extended to every Venezuelan anywhere in the world, but especially here in the United States.” Villalongo said. “For the families living here, let’s give them peace.“
José Antonio Colina, president of Venezuelans Persecuted for Political Reasons in Exile, said he supports Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), a measure that could benefit nearly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.
“Given the disaster conditions Venezuela is facing at this moment, we believe it is appropriate for Venezuelans who are in the United States to be able to enjoy some type of protection that allows them to remain in the United States,” he said.
“It makes no sense to send Venezuelans to a country that is a disaster zone where the authorities basically cannot cope with the tragedy.”
At the end of Trump’s first term in office, he granted Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to eligible Venezuelans, protecting them from deportation for 18 months and allowing them to obtain work authorization, due to the political and economic crisis under Nicolás Maduro.
Colina believes there’s a possibility that some form of immigration relief will be granted to Venezuelans, since the Trump administration now considers Venezuela an ally and is sending personnel and humanitarian aid following the earthquakes.
But, he noted, more than 5,000 Venezuelans are being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers across the country after losing their Temporary Protected Status (TPS). He called for their release, citing the humanitarian conditions.
“A natural disaster happened, and this event could trigger a deferred action status so that Venezuelans are not sent back to Venezuela for a period of approximately 18 months,” he said.
Rafael Pineyro, the only Venezuelan American council member in the city of Doral, sent a letter to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the administration to provide humanitarian protection for Venezuelans living in the United States. He was scheduled to be at the press conference, but he said he had a family emergency.
“Thousands of families are deeply concerned for their loved ones and for the future of their homeland. It is important to explore every lawful avenue available to support those facing extraordinary conditions,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
Mayra Marchan, a representative of the nonprofit All For Venezuela, said the group is sending medicines, including antibiotics and respiratory medications, as hospitals struggle to keep up with demand. The nonprofit has supported more than 60 nonprofits within Venezuela for more than a decade due to Venezuelan hospitals lacking basic supplies.
She described the situation in Venezuela as “devastating,” noting that many of the injured in the two earthquakes, originally treated in Caracas and La Guaira, had to be transferred to western states due to overwhelmed hospitals and limited medical capacity
“Patients who cannot get care in our country’s public hospitals are being transferred elsewhere in Venezuela because there is no capacity to treat them in the Greater Caracas area” she said. “They are being sent to Maracay, Valencia or Barquisimeto,’’ more than 200 miles away in the western states.
This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 11:30 AM.
