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In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said Venezuelan nationals who were previously under temporary protective status (TPS) can apply for refugee status.
“Venezuela today is more free than it was yesterday,” Noem said.
“Every individual that was under TPS has the opportunity to apply for refugee status,” she continued.
“We need to make sure that our programs actually mean something, and that we’re following the law,” Noem added.
Check it out:
“Venezuela today is more free than it was yesterday,” says @Sec_Noem.
“Every individual that was under TPS has the opportunity to apply for refugee status… We need to make sure that our programs actually mean something, and that we’re following the law.” pic.twitter.com/L3ryRYFEmq
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026
The Hill has more:
Noem ended TPS earlier this year for roughly 600,000 Venezuelan migrants who received protected status from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Biden administration.
After the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday morning, Venezuelan migrants in South Florida took to the streets to celebrate.
The long-term future for their country, though, is unclear. President Trump told reporters Saturday that the U.S. “will run [Venezuela] until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” adding that American oil companies will “fix” the South American nation’s petroleum infrastructure.
Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world.
Meanwhile, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, said Saturday in a televised address to Venezuelans “there is only one president in Venezuela and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”
Trump, who said Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Rodríguez after the U.S. took Maduro into custody, told The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer on Sunday that if the vice president “doesn’t do what’s right,” she will “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
In response to an X post stating, “Venezuelan migrants can apply to become refugees in the United States, per DHS Sec. Kristi Noem,” the DHS said, “This is not what Secretary Noem said.”
“This is not what Secretary Noem said. President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate Narco Terrorist dictator who stole from his own people,” DHS said.
“Secretary Noem ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans and now they can go home to a country that they love,” it continued.
This is not what Secretary Noem said. President Trump is bringing stability to Venezuela and bringing to justice an illegitimate Narco Terrorist dictator who stole from his own people.
Secretary Noem ended Temporary Protected Status for more than 500,000 Venezuelans and now… https://t.co/vXyyBtDKSP
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 4, 2026
Watch the full interview below:
WATCH: @Sec_Noem says Venezuelans who were under Temporary Protective Status can apply for refugee status – as the nation faces an uncertain future in wake of Maduro’s capture. pic.twitter.com/umHyxilxH3
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) January 4, 2026
Axios shared further:
The Supreme Court allowed the termination to proceed while litigation continues.
President Trump also halted asylum applications from 19 countries, including Venezuela, after a shooting incident in D.C.
Newly elected Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins called the TPS termination “reckless, dangerous and wrong” on Saturday, urging Trump to reinstate the program.
While some Venezuelans celebrated Maduro’s ouster in Miami’s streets, others stayed home fearing immigration raids, according to news reports.
“We are victims of the Nicolás Maduro regime, but we are also victims of the Trump administration policies,” Adelys Ferro of the Venezuelan-American Caucus told The New York Times.
The president suggested Saturday that some Venezuelans “want to stay, and some probably want to go back.”
International law professors wrote in Just Security that if the U.S. and Venezuela are now in an armed conflict, Venezuelans living in the U.S. are entitled to Geneva Convention protections, which could affect immigration policies.