NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to nearly a half-million Venezuelans, making it easier for them to get work permits, following months of calls to action from elected leaders in New York.
The move will impact around 15,000 Venezuelans of the 60,000 migrants currently in the city’s care, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Those who arrived on or before July 31 can apply for TPS, meaning the 10,000 migrants currently arriving in the city each month won’t be eligible.
The goal is to issue work permits within 30 days, an improvement from the current 90+ day waiting period. Ultimately, the action aims to transition migrants out of the shelter system by making them self-sufficient in the U.S.
“The White House heard the calls from this administration and our congressional delegation and the governor,” Adams said in an interview with CBS News on Thursday. “I spoke with the White House last night, and we need to be clear on where we are.”
More than 110,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since last spring, but the current actions will only apply to Venezuelans. Adams hopes the administration will extend TPS to migrants from other countries as well.
"We are not only getting asylum seekers from Venezuela,” Adams said. “We must really come up with a real solution, but this is, we can't spike the ball, but we do have to acknowledge that our voices were heard and we need to ensure that we are looking at the other large numbers that are coming.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul met with Biden on Wednesday and described her conversation about the migrant crisis as “very productive.”
“There's more work to do as we address this crisis, but the State of New York is prepared to immediately begin the process of signing people up for work authorization and getting them into jobs so they can become self-sufficient,” Hochul said.
The announcement comes a day after protests erupted outside a former Midland Beach senior living facility on Staten Island. Ten people were arrested during the protest—just the latest to erupt in the boroughs over the influx of migrants, which has strained city resources.
“We see what's being played out on the streets of our city,” Adams said. “There's a lot of anger. We don't want that anger to be misdirected. The asylum seekers want to work. They want to contribute to the American Dream, and we need to find a pathway to do so.”