Washington, D.C. – In response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela and other measures, Katharina Obser, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), issued the following statement:

“The Women’s Refugee Commission applauds the Biden administration’s decision to extend and redesignate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). By providing protection from deportation and work permits, this move will give much needed safety and stability for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the United States. Moreover, the Women’s Refugee Commission applauds moves to accelerate the processing of and extension of work authorization for many asylum seekers and others who have recently arrived in the United States.

“Just this week, the Women’s Refugee Commission released key recommendations for the reception of people seeking asylum, based on visits to New York City and Portland, Maine. As we documented, one of the most crucial needs is increased access to work authorization. We commend the administration for taking new steps to reduce hurdles in that process. Increasing access to work authorization and reducing work authorization backlogs will enable people to become more self-sufficient and find stability in U.S. communities as they go through the asylum process.

“WRC also calls on the Biden administration to consider TPS protections for additional populations, and meaningful access to protection for those seeking safety at the southern border. We remain particularly concerned about the rapid expansion of the deeply flawed Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) process that rushes families with children through the asylum process. As the administration implements the many positive steps announced last night, we hope for more action to ensure a just and dignified asylum system.”

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