DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) – As thousands of temporary protected status holders from Haiti who are living in the United States receive a reprieve, thousands of Venezuelan nationals are working toward a similar extension of legal protections.

TPS has been a major focus this week in South Florida, which is home to thousands of Haitians and Venezuelans. An appeals court on Wednesday night issued a court order extending Friday’s deadline of TPS protections for Haitians until Monday.

Now Venezuelans are also calling for their protections to be reinstated.

South Florida’s Venezuelan community is asking the Trump administration to have a change of heart. TPS holders and advocates said they will be gathering and organizing at the Aloft by Marriott Hotel on Northwest 107th Avenue in Doral. Organizers said they will be talking about the need to have TPS reinstated.

The administration ended TPS for Venezuelans last year. Many are set to lose their legal status in October, putting them at risk for deportation to a country dealing with disaster.

The Venezuelan community’s call to have TPS reinstated comes as Friday marks the one-month anniversary since two catastrophic back-to-back earthquakes hit the country and left more than 5,000 people dead.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Haitians across the country and in South Florida are facing the same fight.

“They are being used as a ping-pong, like a political ping-pong,” said Miami-Dade District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien.

Local leaders on Thursday said the appeals court order is not enough

“What are they supposed to do in three days? This is very cruel to them,” said Bastien.

The threat comes after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to allow the Trump administration to revoke the protection, a move elected officials said is detrimental to South Florida’s economy.

“We have so many, hundreds of thousands of Haitians who are here contributing and have done for years and years, paying taxes, opening businesses. It’s going to throw our community and our economy into a turmoil,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

The last-minute ruling has put a pause on deportations until the case goes back to the same court on Monday.

Haitians were first granted TPS in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

“As we speak, Haiti is 10 times worse,” said Bastien.

The push by the Trump administration to end their protection comes as Haiti remains under a Level 4 do not travel advisory due to widespread gang violence, civil unrest and limited emergency services.

But now leaders in South Florida are urging senators to pass a bill extending TPS for Haitians for another three years.

“It is not too late. Senator Rick Scott, Senator Ashley Moody, the TPS recipients are calling on you to step up,” said Bastien.

Organizers of the event in Doral said they will also be launching a petition to push for TPS’ reinstatement.

Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox