Rep. Darren Soto filed a discharge petition on March 19 to bring H.R. 3310, the Venezuela TPS Act of 2025, to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation seeks to designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and was introduced by Soto along with Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The issue is significant for thousands of Venezuelans living in Central Florida and across the United States who have fled political violence and instability in their home country. Many community leaders say that removing protections now would place these individuals at risk.
“The Trump Administration has stripped Venezuelans of Temporary Protected Status, parole, and other critical protections, as well as unjustly deported refugees during a time of major instability in their country,” said Rep. Soto, Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “Now that the country is under Delcy Rodríguez’s grip after the Administration ousted Dictator Nicolás Maduro with no plan to transition to democracy, it would be deeply insulting to turn our backs on this vulnerable group.” He called for immediate action from congressional leadership.
Rep. Salazar said, “While it is encouraging to see signs of progress and a potential path forward for Venezuela, much work remains to be done… Until conditions meaningfully improve, we must uphold our commitment to those we granted Temporary Protected Status while ensuring strong criminal vetting measures remain in place.” Rep. Wasserman Schultz added: “Right now, law-abiding Venezuelan TPS recipients are treated like criminals by Trump Administration officials who behave like criminals… It’s simply wrong to strip away people’s legal status and rip them out of the workforce.” Rep. Adriano Espaillat emphasized support from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus: “We stand firmly with Rep. Soto in filing this discharge petition… With Venezuela in chaos and Venezuelans facing real threats… this is not the time to strip away their protections—it is the time to strengthen them.”
Advocacy groups also voiced support for continued protections under TPS for Venezuelan immigrants who have established lives in America through work and community involvement despite ongoing uncertainty about their future status.
The discharge petition currently has signatures from Soto and 30 other Members but requires a total of 218 signatures before moving forward.
