Uncertainty for around 50,000 Venezuelans in Chicago following Trump’s decision on TPS

In Chicago, approximately 50,000 Venezuelan immigrants have settled in the last couple of years. Their current situation has become uncertain as the U.S. Supreme Court has granted permission to the Trump administration to revoke their legal protections.

A 30-year-old Venezuelan man, who is a father of two, is employed full-time at a bakery and dedicates four hours every week to volunteer at a warehouse that helps those in need, including migrants. The fear of facing deportation is constantly looming over him.

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“In reality, we live in desperation. I don’t know if it will happen when you go out and will see a strange car behind,” he said.

Due to the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, he is hesitant to reveal his identity out of fear for his and his family’s safety. The decision has significantly increased the risk of deportation for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants who were granted legal status in the U.S. through a program called Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

“Now, you’re going after folks that we need to work in our country to do jobs that most Americans don’t want to do,” said Pastor John Zayas, with Grace & Peace Church.

Zayas has spent the last two years helping migrants settle in the Chicago area. He and immigration attorneys say some are well-established in their communities.

“They have a mortgage. They have a car. The threat of losing their work permit, they are not going to able sustain their mortgage, or provide for their families,” immigration lawyer Rocia Becerril said.

The 30-year-old Venezuelan man says his TPS expired in April. If he is deported, he says there is no work for him in Venezuela.

He says he came to the United States “for a good future, to live in peace, to work.”

He said he wanted to create a good future for his children.

Zayas says many of the families he works with say the conditions in Venezuela are so bad they would rather be in the U.S. living in fear under the threat of deportation than return.

“There’s hope here. There’s no hope over there, whoever’s in charge, whoever’s the president. There’s no hope; they know what’s waiting for them. This is still gives hope,” Zayas said.

While they hang on to a sliver of hope, Venezuelan migrants with jobs say they will continue to work and live in the shadows, like so many other immigrants have in the United States.