May 4, 2025 • 27 mins
The National TPS Alliance and seven plaintiffs, including Temporary Protected Status holder Cecilia González, recently sued the Trump administration for illegally terminating TPS for about 600,000 Venezuelans. Though a federal judge temporarily blocked the termination, the legal fight to defend the status, and to advocate for long-term immigration reform, continues.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's been almost ten years since Jose Sosa fled Venezuela
for political reasons.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Is he comes to Tournamente Basselli.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Today, he feels like he's back to square one, living
under the rule of another repressive government, this time in
the United States.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
St Tsunezuelan.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Feeling targeted just for being Venezuelan is not fair, he
says Weela. It's a Saturday afternoon in April and Jose
is outside of Elarepaso of venezuelan restaurant and mainstay in Doral,
a small city in Miami Dade County. These days, the
(00:53):
city of Dorel goes by the nickname Dorezuela because of
the large number of Venezuelans who live there.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Ye.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yes, Jose and his wife Bilin identify themselves as depianos.
That means they have deepe Essa TPS, or Temporary Protected Status.
Being a tepiano would allow people from specific countries to
(01:24):
stay in the United States temporarily if they cannot return safely,
either because of economic turmoil, environmental disasters, or extraordinary circumstances.
TPS is currently available to citizens of seventeen countries, including Venezuela.
It gives holders a temporary work authorization, and it allows
(01:47):
them to pay into Social Security.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
For power screens.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And there's to Belitas momento. Today, dozens of people are
lighting belit us, seeking solidarity for bipart and support for
the future of Venezuelans in the United States. More than
six hundred thousand Venezuelans have TPS de peesa today, roughly
(02:11):
seven in every ten living in the United States. But
things have gotten particularly complicated for them in the last
few months. The Venezuelan gangs are the worst in the world.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
They are vicious, violent people.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
They're poisoning the blood of our country.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
That's what they've done. We're moving with urgency and speed
to get these vicious and.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
Violent criminals that held out of our country.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
In late January, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Nome
announced that she was canceling the eighteen month TPS extension,
the one that the Biden administration had granted TPS holders
who received protection in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
They were going to be able to stay here and
violate our laws for another eighteen months, and we stopped that.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
The Trump administration claims that Venicel Szuela no longer meets
conditions for TPS, but experts and Dipcianos disagree.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
Political violence and economy in tatters, plus a disputed presidential
election have the people of Venezuela fearful and desperate. Millions
have already fled to other nations, including the United States.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Last year, the humanitarian information platform HUME Venezuela found that
almost twenty million people, about seventy percent of the population
of Venezuela, lives in poverty. Nikolas Maduro, the autocratic leader
of Venezuela, maintains his tight grip, and earlier this year,
(03:44):
the United Nations Human Rights Council found that harsh repression
and crimes against humanity are ongoing. So Venezuelans are scared
to go back.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
It's in danger of lusing their lives or it's endange
you're about coming back to their country. In my case,
I left because my life and my whole, my entire
family was endangered.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
All Latin America is by your side. We're all together
in this, yes, and we want to make But the
targeting of Venezuelans in the United States has Jose questioning
these country's who are values like freedom and justice for all.
(04:36):
Jose says he feels like he's being used as a
political pawn in an ill gotten negotiation, But there are
people advocating for Jose and for his community.
Speaker 7 (04:51):
Cecilia Goal.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Cecilia Gonzalez is one of the most visible faces in
the fight for Venezuelans to remain in the United States.
She's one of the plaintiffs in a high stakes federal
case to preserve tps or tepees from Fudro Media and PRX.
(05:16):
It's Latino USA. I'm Maria in No Hoosa today, inside
the fight to defend the legal status of Venezuelans living
in the United States. Our Latino USA producer Dasha San
Noval is going to pick up the story from here.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Cecilia Gonzalez grew up in Barinas, Venezuela.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
So Barinas is a small town kind of close to
the Columbian border.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Where that's Ugo chawis, the late socialist leader who ruled
Venezuela for more than a decade.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So everybody can meew each other and.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Cecilia's parents were vocal about their dissenting political beliefs, calling
out corruption when they saw it.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Which led to treads, which led to like, my mom
was victim of what we call an expressed kidnapped that
they kind of like kidnap you for short hours, they're
giving you a message.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So when Cecilia was eighteen, her parents decided it was
time to.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Go, and they're kind of like one letters to move here,
filed for an asylum and just been waiting for the
asylum to be reviewed.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
They've been waiting since twenty seventeen. Before becoming a student
and an advocate, Cecilia had a hard time adjusting to
her new life in the US.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
The depression that I faced when I just moved to
the US was was a result of me feeling I
didn't belong.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
In Venezuela. Cecilia was a journalism student and an activist
in Central Florida. She struggled to find purpose.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I kind of like.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Did what I was supposed to. I got a job
work at the team park almost three years.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
But then she got involved with a local advocacy organization,
Casa Venezuela.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And eventually kind of allow me to answer, oh who
am I? Okay? And a public servant and an advocate
and a volunteer and an immigrant and a daughter.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
She found her footing, and soon she got into politics.
She helped form Venezuelano's port Biden and became a Latina
spokesperson for his twenty twenty campaign.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
In the third hundred days, he got a TPIS for
Venezuela's in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
That year, Cecilia and her family applied for TPS. They
qualified and were granted protection. Since then, Cecilia has been
working as a voting rights advocacy coordinator and going to
school at the same time. She's about to graduate with
a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of
Central Florida. Earlier this year, she was Florida Cartersman Darren
(07:55):
Soto's guest at the presidential address to Congress.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Cecilia Gonzalez a local Venezuelan immigrant activists who's been doing amazing.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Work in the district. With no answer on her family's
asylum request after eight years, Cecilia feels a greater sense
of stability under TPS.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
The reality depending asylum is noah and status and thus
being reflected in so many spaces, including a school. When
you apply to go to college here, they asher for
your status.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
TPS doesn't give access to federal financial aid for college,
but it can open the door to private grants and
scholarships at some universities.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
TP kind of like an extra protection understanding that it
was always intended to be temporary that did not provide
a permanent solution, but it's an extra layer of protection
in case of in the worlds scenario.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
By worst of scenarios, Cecilia means losing TPS and not
being granted asylum either, in short, becoming a poor That's
why preserving TPS is so important for her, and Cecilia says,
the fight is unfolding in more than one place.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
They only have been two battles. There is going to
be a legal battle inside the course and they're going
to be the battle at the streets.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
What we call part of her role as an activist
t Piana is about changing minds, getting the word out
that Venezuelans are not all criminals or gang members. According
to data from the US Treasury Department, eight hundred people
have been arrested for links to the trend of Agua gang.
That's only zero point zero eight percent of the Venezuelan
(09:36):
population living in the United States.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
To ourministration, they're creating the narrative that immigrants are criminals.
All these six hundred thousand Venezuela wikipate they're old trend
that AWA members is sad, but we need to continue
proving this country and ourselves with that. We in the
are war seat to remain that we are hard working
people on it. That's some people that only the one
(10:00):
if being able to live here with dignity.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Under Secretary Nomes February Order. Cecilia's best friend was getting
ready to say goodbye to his mother, a TPS holder
on a recent visit. Cecilia found her packing and I.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Went up to her room and I see her like,
with all these clothes, and she can tell me these
two choose and she says, what size are you?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
She was getting ready to leave for Columbia rather than
face possible deportation. Going back to Venezuela wasn't an option,
so neighboring Colombia, where about three million Venezuelans already live,
made sense.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And I remember being like, we're not doing this like
we are fighting. We're choosing to.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Fight coming up on Latino USA, Cecilia sues the federal
government in a case affecting the future of hundreds of
thousands of people stay with us. Yes, hey, we're back.
(11:20):
And before the break, we met Cecilia Gonzalez, an activist
in Venezuelan Dipsiana, or TPS holder. Cecilia is one of
the most visible faces in the fight to preserve TPS
for Venezuelans. Again. Here's producer Dasha Sandoval.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
When we first spoke in mid March, Cecilia was getting
ready to go to California for the first hearing in
a federal lawsuit. The National TPS Alliance, a national member
led organization, and seven plaintiffs, including Cecilia, were suing the
federal government. Participating in the case was a no brainer
for her.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Both my parents that he caured their careers and their
adul life to speak true to power and then sacrifice
or their career reputation. They're all everything that they had
built for us to leave in this country constably and freely.
It saw away from me to honor their sacrifices.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Cecilia and her co plaintiffs accused the government of illegally
revoking the TPS extension granted by the Biden administration in
violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. They also alleged that
the government's actions were discriminatory and in violation of the
Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee for the government allowing Venezuelan
(12:43):
nationals to remain in the US is contrary to the
quote national interest. And then on March thirty, first, US
District Court Judge Edward M. Chen released his ruling.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Quit breaking news, just coming in right now. A federal
judge stop the Trump administration's plan to end protections for
up to three hundred and fifty thousand Venezuelans.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It felt relieved, but also super proud.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
The order postpones DHS's actions, allowing all Venezuelan TPS holders
to retain their status as long as there's a pending
legal case or until October twenty twenty six, when their
protection is set to expire.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
We won the victory on this is a Tenny victree.
I'm on a very long battle.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
And it's a temporary win. The Trump administration filed first
day or a pause on Judge Chen's emergency ruling while
their appeal process is ongoing. The Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals denied that request in April, but then on May first,
the government asked the Supreme Court to stay Judge Chen's order.
(13:49):
If the Court agrees, over three hundred and fifty thousand
Venezuelans with TPS would lose their status. Cecilia hopes the
temporary ruling is the beginning of a historic win for
Venezuelans in the US.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
I was talking with some of my other Venezuela leaders
and we say we are writing a new chapter in
the immigration story in the US.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
One of Cecilia's fellow leaders is Adelis Ferro, executive director
of the Venezuelan American Caucus Powered by Latino Victory, a
progressive organization that aims to grow Latino political power. She
was a declarant in the case and has become a
very public advocate for Venezuelans. She also helped host the
vigil for Venezuelans and Durrell, the event we started the
(14:38):
show with. We caught up there after the ruling I
had view. I asked a Lis why she thinks the
Trump administration is specifically targeting Venezuelans.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
We are the most vulnerable diaspora in the United States.
We don't have representation, and we are the new diaspora,
the new immigrant exodus that have entered in big numbers
in the United States.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Though most Venezuelan migrants and refugees have gone to countries
other than the US, close to seven hundred thousand have
arrived in the US since twenty ten. Adelis believes the
Trump administration has made it a goal to deport as
many people as they can.
Speaker 7 (15:17):
They need people to get deported. They need to fill
that quara, and we are the best target, the asiest one.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
An Ending TPS is just one way the Trump administration
is trying to eliminate protections from deportation. On March twenty fifth,
DHS officially announced the termination of a humanitarian parole program
benefiting not just more than one hundred and twenty thousand
additional Venezuelans, but also close to half a million Haitians, Cubans,
(15:46):
and Nica Daguins.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
The legal status of over half a million people living
in the United States was just reversed by the Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
But on April fifteenth, a federal judge in Boston blocked
the government's actions. Avelis let her community know on an
Instagram live we won. She announced. The ruling means that
(16:14):
so far both TPS and humanitarian parole are temporarily protected. Still,
the Trump administration has been insistent drawing a link between
people with legal status like TPS holders and the trend
Ragua gang. In February, Trump designated trind Ragua a foreign
(16:37):
terrorist organization.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
The people of this country want these dirtbags out.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
They want their communities to be safe.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Avelis remembers the moment in the courtroom when the judge
addressed these comments by Secretary Nome.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
And whenever the judge asked the lawyers from the government,
they said that that was a misunderstanding. Annie was a
being like in the court because it was full packed, obviously,
and because he was insane.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Judge chen seventy eight page ruling reflected the courtroom shock.
He wrote that Secretary nomes rationale for swiftly terminating the
protected status quote smacks of racism. Chen added that there
was no evidence that TPS holders are members of Trindragua.
(17:35):
The first Trump administration also attacked TPS. It tried unsuccessfully
to do away with the status for ninety eight percent
of beneficiaries, but Judge Chen noted that it was the
first time in the TPS program's thirty five year history
that an administration tried to end an extension already in place.
(17:56):
Emmy maclain, an attorney for the ACLU of Northern California
representing the plaintiffs in the case, underscored this fact. The
decision to rescind an extension that had been granted by
a prior administration is entirely unprecedented.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
It has never been done before.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
There is no basis in law for it to be
done now. It all really highlights just how unstable the
status can be. After all, it was always intended to
be temporary. TPS isn't automatic. Applicants go through vetting. Those
(18:40):
who have been convicted of a felony or at least
two misdemeanors are not eligible. Plus, TPS is not meant
to provide a path to citizenship or even residency. For
a TPS holder, to gain permanent residency, they would need
to apply for a change of status, like having an
asylum case approved or obtaining a working visa. These other
(19:00):
statuses can be difficult to obtain, and some can take years.
For Cecilia, it's been eight years in counting. With a
life already in the US, the thought of returning to
Venezuela is unfathomable to her.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Even if I decided to come back to Venezuela today,
that life on the person I was doesn't exist anymore.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Like Cubans who have also escaped autocrats who conceal a
repressive government under the guise of socialism, Venezuelan Americans tend
to skew to the right politically.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Like so many other Venezuelans. She cheered when Donald Trump
was elected because of his tough approach to policies, such
as his promise to crack down on a violent Venezuelan
criminal organization. I would say the majority of the immigrants
here in our community bought into this platform of safety,
security and protected borders for our country.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
So it's no surprise that got more than sixty percent
of the vote in Durrel, where over eighty five percent
of the population is Latino. I tried to speak to
these voters in April in Miami. Wait ah, duel, oh no,
why not perfict, But hardly anyone wanted to talk on
(20:20):
the record. Too much tension, too much fear. In mid April,
the Miami Herald reported that Doral may sign a contract
with ICE. It would allow the city's police to carry
out immigration enforcement, including interrogations, detentions, and processing. While some
(20:47):
Trump supporters feel betrayed by DHS's actions, others feel Optimisticristian
Monhans Christian is the director of the Venezuelan American Chamber
of Commerce. Though he spoke to me from his person
in all opinion, and though he wasn't explicit about his
personal political affiliation, he's sympathetic to the administration's America First mandate.
(21:09):
Karaoke el.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Donald trumpada the America.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
First, and he believes that Trump's initial measures will eventually
benefit the country put it back to its number one status.
Tomento Maron. As for TPS, Christian believes the program was
(21:42):
offered too liberally.
Speaker 7 (21:45):
Talentosa Hendrixtraordinaria Lamento Lemente.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Christian says there are really talented people in our community
that sadly will have to leave the country because they
haven't started another immigration process. Furthermore, he stressed that TPS
is meant to be temporary, suggesting it isn't the right path.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
There is no wet side that I can apply and
say to move to go to the US the right
way that doesn't exist.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Cecilia concedes that there are investor visas for the rich,
green cards through marriage if you happen to fall in
love with a US citizen, and of course asylum, but
as has been her case, apending asylum application is no
guarantee of a permanent legal status. She's hopeful that Judge
Chen's temporary ruling and the bigger fight to protect TPS
(22:52):
are stepping stones to broader immigration reform.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
These battle the sail precedent. They are gonna come out
in two three year whenever it comes, when we will
find permanent the lusia that provide dignity and the stability
to the immigrant community, we will be one of the
part of the well lamped chapter or the immigration fight
in this country.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
In February, days after Secretary Nomes termination of the TPS extension,
House members from both parties reintroduced the Venezuelan Adjustment Act.
The bill would provide a path to lawful permanent residence
for Venezuelans who have been in the US since before
December thirty one, twenty twenty one, and for those who
meet a slew of other criteria related to their status.
(23:41):
Like any bill, it would need to pass both Houses
of Congress before becoming law.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
Haki Hakis.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Back at the Joel and Jerral Adelis reminded attendees what's
at stake.
Speaker 7 (24:04):
I want to tell Venezuelans that they are not alone,
that we are organizing that now is not only Venezuelans,
seventeen diasporas ha TPS in this country and more than
eleven million immigrants needs an immigration reform, and we are
not giving up. We're going to keep fighting for the
immigration reform in this country and we'll make it happen.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Comprehensive immigration reform. That's the ultimate goal for Adelis, for Cecilia,
and for many of the hundreds of thousands of TPS
holders who are making a life here. Josse, the TPS
holder we heard from at the very top of the show,
hopes he can continue to contribute here as so many
(25:03):
immigrants have ambitol and Jose's kids have had a chance
to grow up in the US and they've experienced freedom,
he says, so it's difficult to explain to them what's happening. Still,
(25:30):
the initial triumph of the lawsuit and the ongoing fight
with Cecilia, Abelis and others at the front gives Jose
a dose of hope he trusts freedom will prevail.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
This episode was produced by Tasha Sandoval, who was edited
by Andrea Lopez Gruzado. It was Big Spy Stephanie Lebau
fact checking for this episode by Monica Morales Garcia. The
Latino USA team also includes Roxana Guire, Julia Caruso, Felicia Dominguez,
(26:29):
Fernanda Chavari, Jessica Ellis, Victoria Strada, Dominique Estrosa, Renaldo Leanoz Junior,
Luis Luna, Marta Martinez, JJ Carubin, Nur Saudi and Nancy Trujillo. Bennileeiramidez,
Marlon Bishop, Maria Garcia and myself are co executive producers.
And I'm your host, Barriero Coosa. Join us again on
(26:51):
our next episode. In the meantime, I'll see you on
social media. You know where to find me, and you
know what I'm about to say, not Va, Yes Bye.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Latino USA is made possible in part by Skyline Foundation.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for
the nation's children by strengthening families, building greater economic opportunity,
and transforming communities, and funding for Latino USA's coverage of
a culture of health is made possible, in part by
(27:25):
a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
It's been almost ten years since Jose Sosa fled Venezuela
for political reasons.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Is he comes to Tournamente Basselli.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Today, he feels like he's back to square one, living
under the rule of another repressive government, this time in
the United States.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
St Tsunezuelan.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Feeling targeted just for being Venezuelan is not fair, he
says Weela. It's a Saturday afternoon in April and Jose
is outside of Elarepaso of venezuelan restaurant and mainstay in Doral,
a small city in Miami Dade County. These days, the
(00:53):
city of Dorel goes by the nickname Dorezuela because of
the large number of Venezuelans who live there.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Ye.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yes, Jose and his wife Bilin identify themselves as depianos.
That means they have deepe Essa TPS, or Temporary Protected Status.
Being a tepiano would allow people from specific countries to
(01:24):
stay in the United States temporarily if they cannot return safely,
either because of economic turmoil, environmental disasters, or extraordinary circumstances.
TPS is currently available to citizens of seventeen countries, including Venezuela.
It gives holders a temporary work authorization, and it allows
(01:47):
them to pay into Social Security.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
For power screens.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And there's to Belitas momento. Today, dozens of people are
lighting belit us, seeking solidarity for bipart and support for
the future of Venezuelans in the United States. More than
six hundred thousand Venezuelans have TPS de peesa today, roughly
(02:11):
seven in every ten living in the United States. But
things have gotten particularly complicated for them in the last
few months. The Venezuelan gangs are the worst in the world.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
They are vicious, violent people.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
They're poisoning the blood of our country.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
That's what they've done. We're moving with urgency and speed
to get these vicious and.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
Violent criminals that held out of our country.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
In late January, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Nome
announced that she was canceling the eighteen month TPS extension,
the one that the Biden administration had granted TPS holders
who received protection in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
They were going to be able to stay here and
violate our laws for another eighteen months, and we stopped that.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
The Trump administration claims that Venicel Szuela no longer meets
conditions for TPS, but experts and Dipcianos disagree.
Speaker 5 (03:08):
Political violence and economy in tatters, plus a disputed presidential
election have the people of Venezuela fearful and desperate. Millions
have already fled to other nations, including the United States.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Last year, the humanitarian information platform HUME Venezuela found that
almost twenty million people, about seventy percent of the population
of Venezuela, lives in poverty. Nikolas Maduro, the autocratic leader
of Venezuela, maintains his tight grip, and earlier this year,
(03:44):
the United Nations Human Rights Council found that harsh repression
and crimes against humanity are ongoing. So Venezuelans are scared
to go back.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
It's in danger of lusing their lives or it's endange
you're about coming back to their country. In my case,
I left because my life and my whole, my entire
family was endangered.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
All Latin America is by your side. We're all together
in this, yes, and we want to make But the
targeting of Venezuelans in the United States has Jose questioning
these country's who are values like freedom and justice for all.
(04:36):
Jose says he feels like he's being used as a
political pawn in an ill gotten negotiation, But there are
people advocating for Jose and for his community.
Speaker 7 (04:51):
Cecilia Goal.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Cecilia Gonzalez is one of the most visible faces in
the fight for Venezuelans to remain in the United States.
She's one of the plaintiffs in a high stakes federal
case to preserve tps or tepees from Fudro Media and PRX.
(05:16):
It's Latino USA. I'm Maria in No Hoosa today, inside
the fight to defend the legal status of Venezuelans living
in the United States. Our Latino USA producer Dasha San
Noval is going to pick up the story from here.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Cecilia Gonzalez grew up in Barinas, Venezuela.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
So Barinas is a small town kind of close to
the Columbian border.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Where that's Ugo chawis, the late socialist leader who ruled
Venezuela for more than a decade.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
So everybody can meew each other and.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Cecilia's parents were vocal about their dissenting political beliefs, calling
out corruption when they saw it.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Which led to treads, which led to like, my mom
was victim of what we call an expressed kidnapped that
they kind of like kidnap you for short hours, they're
giving you a message.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So when Cecilia was eighteen, her parents decided it was
time to.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Go, and they're kind of like one letters to move here,
filed for an asylum and just been waiting for the
asylum to be reviewed.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
They've been waiting since twenty seventeen. Before becoming a student
and an advocate, Cecilia had a hard time adjusting to
her new life in the US.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
The depression that I faced when I just moved to
the US was was a result of me feeling I
didn't belong.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
In Venezuela. Cecilia was a journalism student and an activist
in Central Florida. She struggled to find purpose.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I kind of like.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Did what I was supposed to. I got a job
work at the team park almost three years.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
But then she got involved with a local advocacy organization,
Casa Venezuela.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
And eventually kind of allow me to answer, oh who
am I? Okay? And a public servant and an advocate
and a volunteer and an immigrant and a daughter.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
She found her footing, and soon she got into politics.
She helped form Venezuelano's port Biden and became a Latina
spokesperson for his twenty twenty campaign.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
In the third hundred days, he got a TPIS for
Venezuela's in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
That year, Cecilia and her family applied for TPS. They
qualified and were granted protection. Since then, Cecilia has been
working as a voting rights advocacy coordinator and going to
school at the same time. She's about to graduate with
a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of
Central Florida. Earlier this year, she was Florida Cartersman Darren
(07:55):
Soto's guest at the presidential address to Congress.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Cecilia Gonzalez a local Venezuelan immigrant activists who's been doing amazing.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Work in the district. With no answer on her family's
asylum request after eight years, Cecilia feels a greater sense
of stability under TPS.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
The reality depending asylum is noah and status and thus
being reflected in so many spaces, including a school. When
you apply to go to college here, they asher for
your status.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
TPS doesn't give access to federal financial aid for college,
but it can open the door to private grants and
scholarships at some universities.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
TP kind of like an extra protection understanding that it
was always intended to be temporary that did not provide
a permanent solution, but it's an extra layer of protection
in case of in the worlds scenario.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
By worst of scenarios, Cecilia means losing TPS and not
being granted asylum either, in short, becoming a poor That's
why preserving TPS is so important for her, and Cecilia says,
the fight is unfolding in more than one place.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
They only have been two battles. There is going to
be a legal battle inside the course and they're going
to be the battle at the streets.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
What we call part of her role as an activist
t Piana is about changing minds, getting the word out
that Venezuelans are not all criminals or gang members. According
to data from the US Treasury Department, eight hundred people
have been arrested for links to the trend of Agua gang.
That's only zero point zero eight percent of the Venezuelan
(09:36):
population living in the United States.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
To ourministration, they're creating the narrative that immigrants are criminals.
All these six hundred thousand Venezuela wikipate they're old trend
that AWA members is sad, but we need to continue
proving this country and ourselves with that. We in the
are war seat to remain that we are hard working
people on it. That's some people that only the one
(10:00):
if being able to live here with dignity.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Under Secretary Nomes February Order. Cecilia's best friend was getting
ready to say goodbye to his mother, a TPS holder
on a recent visit. Cecilia found her packing and I.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Went up to her room and I see her like,
with all these clothes, and she can tell me these
two choose and she says, what size are you?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
She was getting ready to leave for Columbia rather than
face possible deportation. Going back to Venezuela wasn't an option,
so neighboring Colombia, where about three million Venezuelans already live,
made sense.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
And I remember being like, we're not doing this like
we are fighting. We're choosing to.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Fight coming up on Latino USA, Cecilia sues the federal
government in a case affecting the future of hundreds of
thousands of people stay with us. Yes, hey, we're back.
(11:20):
And before the break, we met Cecilia Gonzalez, an activist
in Venezuelan Dipsiana, or TPS holder. Cecilia is one of
the most visible faces in the fight to preserve TPS
for Venezuelans. Again. Here's producer Dasha Sandoval.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
When we first spoke in mid March, Cecilia was getting
ready to go to California for the first hearing in
a federal lawsuit. The National TPS Alliance, a national member
led organization, and seven plaintiffs, including Cecilia, were suing the
federal government. Participating in the case was a no brainer
for her.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Both my parents that he caured their careers and their
adul life to speak true to power and then sacrifice
or their career reputation. They're all everything that they had
built for us to leave in this country constably and freely.
It saw away from me to honor their sacrifices.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Cecilia and her co plaintiffs accused the government of illegally
revoking the TPS extension granted by the Biden administration in
violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. They also alleged that
the government's actions were discriminatory and in violation of the
Fifth Amendment's equal protection guarantee for the government allowing Venezuelan
(12:43):
nationals to remain in the US is contrary to the
quote national interest. And then on March thirty, first, US
District Court Judge Edward M. Chen released his ruling.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Quit breaking news, just coming in right now. A federal
judge stop the Trump administration's plan to end protections for
up to three hundred and fifty thousand Venezuelans.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It felt relieved, but also super proud.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
The order postpones DHS's actions, allowing all Venezuelan TPS holders
to retain their status as long as there's a pending
legal case or until October twenty twenty six, when their
protection is set to expire.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
We won the victory on this is a Tenny victree.
I'm on a very long battle.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
And it's a temporary win. The Trump administration filed first
day or a pause on Judge Chen's emergency ruling while
their appeal process is ongoing. The Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals denied that request in April, but then on May first,
the government asked the Supreme Court to stay Judge Chen's order.
(13:49):
If the Court agrees, over three hundred and fifty thousand
Venezuelans with TPS would lose their status. Cecilia hopes the
temporary ruling is the beginning of a historic win for
Venezuelans in the US.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
I was talking with some of my other Venezuela leaders
and we say we are writing a new chapter in
the immigration story in the US.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
One of Cecilia's fellow leaders is Adelis Ferro, executive director
of the Venezuelan American Caucus Powered by Latino Victory, a
progressive organization that aims to grow Latino political power. She
was a declarant in the case and has become a
very public advocate for Venezuelans. She also helped host the
vigil for Venezuelans and Durrell, the event we started the
(14:38):
show with. We caught up there after the ruling I
had view. I asked a Lis why she thinks the
Trump administration is specifically targeting Venezuelans.
Speaker 7 (14:51):
We are the most vulnerable diaspora in the United States.
We don't have representation, and we are the new diaspora,
the new immigrant exodus that have entered in big numbers
in the United States.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Though most Venezuelan migrants and refugees have gone to countries
other than the US, close to seven hundred thousand have
arrived in the US since twenty ten. Adelis believes the
Trump administration has made it a goal to deport as
many people as they can.
Speaker 7 (15:17):
They need people to get deported. They need to fill
that quara, and we are the best target, the asiest one.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
An Ending TPS is just one way the Trump administration
is trying to eliminate protections from deportation. On March twenty fifth,
DHS officially announced the termination of a humanitarian parole program
benefiting not just more than one hundred and twenty thousand
additional Venezuelans, but also close to half a million Haitians, Cubans,
(15:46):
and Nica Daguins.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
The legal status of over half a million people living
in the United States was just reversed by the Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
But on April fifteenth, a federal judge in Boston blocked
the government's actions. Avelis let her community know on an
Instagram live we won. She announced. The ruling means that
(16:14):
so far both TPS and humanitarian parole are temporarily protected. Still,
the Trump administration has been insistent drawing a link between
people with legal status like TPS holders and the trend
Ragua gang. In February, Trump designated trind Ragua a foreign
(16:37):
terrorist organization.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
The people of this country want these dirtbags out.
Speaker 6 (16:43):
They want their communities to be safe.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Avelis remembers the moment in the courtroom when the judge
addressed these comments by Secretary Nome.
Speaker 7 (16:51):
And whenever the judge asked the lawyers from the government,
they said that that was a misunderstanding. Annie was a
being like in the court because it was full packed, obviously,
and because he was insane.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Judge chen seventy eight page ruling reflected the courtroom shock.
He wrote that Secretary nomes rationale for swiftly terminating the
protected status quote smacks of racism. Chen added that there
was no evidence that TPS holders are members of Trindragua.
(17:35):
The first Trump administration also attacked TPS. It tried unsuccessfully
to do away with the status for ninety eight percent
of beneficiaries, but Judge Chen noted that it was the
first time in the TPS program's thirty five year history
that an administration tried to end an extension already in place.
(17:56):
Emmy maclain, an attorney for the ACLU of Northern California
representing the plaintiffs in the case, underscored this fact. The
decision to rescind an extension that had been granted by
a prior administration is entirely unprecedented.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
It has never been done before.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
There is no basis in law for it to be
done now. It all really highlights just how unstable the
status can be. After all, it was always intended to
be temporary. TPS isn't automatic. Applicants go through vetting. Those
(18:40):
who have been convicted of a felony or at least
two misdemeanors are not eligible. Plus, TPS is not meant
to provide a path to citizenship or even residency. For
a TPS holder, to gain permanent residency, they would need
to apply for a change of status, like having an
asylum case approved or obtaining a working visa. These other
(19:00):
statuses can be difficult to obtain, and some can take years.
For Cecilia, it's been eight years in counting. With a
life already in the US, the thought of returning to
Venezuela is unfathomable to her.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Even if I decided to come back to Venezuela today,
that life on the person I was doesn't exist anymore.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Like Cubans who have also escaped autocrats who conceal a
repressive government under the guise of socialism, Venezuelan Americans tend
to skew to the right politically.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Like so many other Venezuelans. She cheered when Donald Trump
was elected because of his tough approach to policies, such
as his promise to crack down on a violent Venezuelan
criminal organization. I would say the majority of the immigrants
here in our community bought into this platform of safety,
security and protected borders for our country.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
So it's no surprise that got more than sixty percent
of the vote in Durrel, where over eighty five percent
of the population is Latino. I tried to speak to
these voters in April in Miami. Wait ah, duel, oh no,
why not perfict, But hardly anyone wanted to talk on
(20:20):
the record. Too much tension, too much fear. In mid April,
the Miami Herald reported that Doral may sign a contract
with ICE. It would allow the city's police to carry
out immigration enforcement, including interrogations, detentions, and processing. While some
(20:47):
Trump supporters feel betrayed by DHS's actions, others feel Optimisticristian
Monhans Christian is the director of the Venezuelan American Chamber
of Commerce. Though he spoke to me from his person
in all opinion, and though he wasn't explicit about his
personal political affiliation, he's sympathetic to the administration's America First mandate.
(21:09):
Karaoke el.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Donald trumpada the America.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
First, and he believes that Trump's initial measures will eventually
benefit the country put it back to its number one status.
Tomento Maron. As for TPS, Christian believes the program was
(21:42):
offered too liberally.
Speaker 7 (21:45):
Talentosa Hendrixtraordinaria Lamento Lemente.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Christian says there are really talented people in our community
that sadly will have to leave the country because they
haven't started another immigration process. Furthermore, he stressed that TPS
is meant to be temporary, suggesting it isn't the right path.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
There is no wet side that I can apply and
say to move to go to the US the right
way that doesn't exist.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Cecilia concedes that there are investor visas for the rich,
green cards through marriage if you happen to fall in
love with a US citizen, and of course asylum, but
as has been her case, apending asylum application is no
guarantee of a permanent legal status. She's hopeful that Judge
Chen's temporary ruling and the bigger fight to protect TPS
(22:52):
are stepping stones to broader immigration reform.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
These battle the sail precedent. They are gonna come out
in two three year whenever it comes, when we will
find permanent the lusia that provide dignity and the stability
to the immigrant community, we will be one of the
part of the well lamped chapter or the immigration fight
in this country.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
In February, days after Secretary Nomes termination of the TPS extension,
House members from both parties reintroduced the Venezuelan Adjustment Act.
The bill would provide a path to lawful permanent residence
for Venezuelans who have been in the US since before
December thirty one, twenty twenty one, and for those who
meet a slew of other criteria related to their status.
(23:41):
Like any bill, it would need to pass both Houses
of Congress before becoming law.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
Haki Hakis.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Back at the Joel and Jerral Adelis reminded attendees what's
at stake.
Speaker 7 (24:04):
I want to tell Venezuelans that they are not alone,
that we are organizing that now is not only Venezuelans,
seventeen diasporas ha TPS in this country and more than
eleven million immigrants needs an immigration reform, and we are
not giving up. We're going to keep fighting for the
immigration reform in this country and we'll make it happen.
Speaker 5 (24:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Comprehensive immigration reform. That's the ultimate goal for Adelis, for Cecilia,
and for many of the hundreds of thousands of TPS
holders who are making a life here. Josse, the TPS
holder we heard from at the very top of the show,
hopes he can continue to contribute here as so many
(25:03):
immigrants have ambitol and Jose's kids have had a chance
to grow up in the US and they've experienced freedom,
he says, so it's difficult to explain to them what's happening. Still,
(25:30):
the initial triumph of the lawsuit and the ongoing fight
with Cecilia, Abelis and others at the front gives Jose
a dose of hope he trusts freedom will prevail.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
This episode was produced by Tasha Sandoval, who was edited
by Andrea Lopez Gruzado. It was Big Spy Stephanie Lebau
fact checking for this episode by Monica Morales Garcia. The
Latino USA team also includes Roxana Guire, Julia Caruso, Felicia Dominguez,
(26:29):
Fernanda Chavari, Jessica Ellis, Victoria Strada, Dominique Estrosa, Renaldo Leanoz Junior,
Luis Luna, Marta Martinez, JJ Carubin, Nur Saudi and Nancy Trujillo. Bennileeiramidez,
Marlon Bishop, Maria Garcia and myself are co executive producers.
And I'm your host, Barriero Coosa. Join us again on
(26:51):
our next episode. In the meantime, I'll see you on
social media. You know where to find me, and you
know what I'm about to say, not Va, Yes Bye.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
Latino USA is made possible in part by Skyline Foundation.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for
the nation's children by strengthening families, building greater economic opportunity,
and transforming communities, and funding for Latino USA's coverage of
a culture of health is made possible, in part by
(27:25):
a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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