Venezuela Warns Against US Travel Over ‘Arbitrary Detention’ Risk Amid 350,000 Migrants Losing TPS

Caracas, May 28, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government has issued a warning against travel to the United States and advised its citizens currently residing in the country to consider leaving.

This guidance comes amid the Trump administration’s ongoing criminalization campaign against migrants, particularly Venezuelans, and mass deportation efforts.

“Venezuelans in the US face human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, family separation, and transfer to concentration camps in third countries,” stated a communique published on Tuesday by the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry.

On Tuesday, the US State Department also issued its highest travel advisory for Venezuela, warning that “every American is at risk of being detained” by the Nicolás Maduro government. The statement highlighted the absence of a US embassy or consulate in the Caribbean country, following the severance of diplomatic relations in 2019.

In his second term, President Donald Trump has carried out massive deportation efforts without due process. In March, 252 Venezuelan men were forcibly expelled from the US under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega prison. The deportation was done under a lucrative deal with the Nayib Bukele administration.

US authorities have claimed that the 252 men belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang, which the administration has designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” though they have not provided evidence. Several investigations have shown that these accusations were primarily based on basic profiling, such as tattoos—most about sport teams or with personal meaning.

In addition, intelligence reports have contradicted the White House’s charge that the actions of Tren de Aragua are coordinated with the Maduro government.

On May 16, the US Supreme Court reaffirmed its stance against using the Alien Enemies Act to expedite deportations. Meanwhile, Caracas remains engaged in legal efforts with Salvadoran authorities to free Venezuelans from CECOT and facilitate their repatriation.

A new investigation published on May 19 by the Libertarian Cato Institute found that at least 50 Venezuelan men who were sent to CECOT had immigrated to the US legally out of 90 cases reviewed. The majority of the deportees had no criminal record in the US.

TPS status revoked

In an unprecedented one-page unsigned ruling issued on May 19, the US Supreme Court greenlit the Trump administration’s request to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for some 350,000 Venezuelans living in the US, leaving them at risk of deportation. 

TPS is a legal authorization that allows migrants to stay and work in the US temporarily. Venezuelans residing in the US were first granted TPS in 2021 and redesignated in 2023. Former President Joe Biden extended the protection until October 2026 before leaving office.

The Supreme Court’s ruling overturned a lower court verdict that halted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s attempt to terminate the protected status for Venezuelan migrants.

San Francisco-based US District Judge Edward Chen described the Trump government’s attempt to criminalize Venezuelan TPS holders as “baseless” and racially motivated. María Rodríguez, a TPS holder, told reporters that the new ruling left her and fellow migrants “vulnerable.”

A second group of 240,000 Venezuelans will see their protected status expire in September 2025.

TPS recipients and immigrant advocacy organizations have continued to challenge deportations conducted without due process amid ongoing setbacks and threats.

On Tuesday, Detention Resistance, a San Diego-based advocacy group, condemned the recent practice of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting migrants as they leave scheduled court hearings in various US cities, often without warrants. 

The US government is also capitalizing on migrants’ uncertainty by offering a one-time US $1,000 payment as part of a “voluntary self-deportation” program.

Since early March, Caracas has facilitated the repatriation of approximately 4,819 migrants deported from the US across 26 flights. The latest flight arrived on Tuesday carrying 90 people. 

According to reports, thousands of Venezuelans who were en route to the US or managed to cross the border have likewise begun making the trip back home from Texas, Mexico and Central American countries.

Edited by Cira Pascual Marquina in Caracas.