US: 4,200 migrants received shelter in El Paso 4:08

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will expand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans already in the United States. It is a form of humanitarian aid that will make hundreds of thousands more people eligible for work permits and is likely to calm calls from New York City authorities for work authorization for certain immigrants.

The arrival of immigrants, many of them Venezuelans, in New York City opened a rift in President Joe Biden's relationship with New York Mayor Eric Adams, who has harshly criticized the administration's handling of the migration crisis.

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Adams repeatedly urged the White House to expedite work authorizations for immigrants arriving in the city so they can get jobs and aren't forced to rely on the social safety net.

Immigrant advocates have argued that TPS is perhaps the easiest form of action, bypassing Congress, that the government could take to satisfy New York's request. The Secretary of Homeland Security has discretion to designate a country for TPS.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas extends and redesigns Venezuela's TPS for 18 months for people who resided in the U.S. on or before July 31. DHS anticipates that about 472,000 Venezuelans will be eligible for status, according to a Homeland Security official.

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  • Border Patrol says more than 1,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, turn themselves in to El Paso immigration authorities

"As a result, approximately hundreds of thousands of additional Venezuelans across the country will be immediately eligible to apply for work authorization. TPS provides temporary protection from removal as well as employment authorization for eligible Venezuelan nationals," the department said.

Administration officials have been grappling with the growing number of Venezuelans arriving at the U.S. southern border. Frosty relations with Venezuela make it difficult for the United States to expel citizens apprehended at the border, posing a problem for officials.

Venezuela was one of the topics of discussion between Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday.

Both "noted the importance of the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, and President Biden reiterated U.S. support for the people of Venezuela and outlined our vision for a phased approach in which concrete actions toward the restoration of Venezuelan democracy, leading to free and fair elections, are accompanied by corresponding U.S. sanctions relief." according to a statement from the White House.

Immigrants in the U.S. U.S. Venezuelan ImmigrantsTPS