Florida Democrats in Congress slammed the Trump administration Friday for rolling back an 18-month extension of a federal program that shields over a half-million Venezuelans from deportation and urged them to re-extend the protections for people from the South American country.

In a letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the group of lawmakers said that “returning Venezuelan immigrants to a dictatorship that engages in torture, extrajudicial murder, and systemic abuse of human rights would be a death sentence for many of our friends and neighbors.”

“This decision will have a horrific impact on more than 505,400 Venezuelans who currently hold protected status,” the legislators wrote. “This decision will also devastate the communities where they live, work, and pay taxes.”

The letter, spearheaded by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Broward County and Darren Soto of Osceola County, comes after Noem canceled an extension of the program from April 2025 to October 2026 that former Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas announced days before Biden left the White House. She argued that Mayorkas had improperly made a call that should fall on the Trump administration.

Now, the protections are set to expire in April for 256,625 Venezuelans unless Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem extends the designation by Saturday. In September, they are slated to run out for another additional 248,775 people unless she renews them by July.

The letter from Democratic lawmakers emphasized Venezuela’s humanitarian and political crises, which have driven millions of people to flee the country. In the last decade, over 7 million Venezuelans have left, seeking refuge in Colombia, other Latin American countries, and the United States.

As part of the recent wave of arrivals from South America, some members from the notorious Tren de Aragua gang have slipped in among them. Republicans have cited their presence in the country as a justification for a widespread crackdown on undocumented migration.

“Before he left town, Mayorkas signed an order that said for 18 months, they were going to extend protection to people on Temporary Protected Status, which meant they were going to be able to stay here and violate our laws for another 18 months. We stopped that,” said Noem on Fox and Friends this week. To be eligible for TPS program, someone cannot have been convicted of a felony or two or more misdemeanors.

In their letter, the Democratic lawmakers criticized Trump and his administration for making sweeping generalizations about Venezuelans, including TPS recipients, as being criminals.

“Given Venezuelan’s increased instability, repression, and lack of safety, and within all applicable rules and regulations, we demand more information on why the Department has made this decision,” the letter says. “The only justification that has been offered by the administration is the false claim that all Venezuelans are “dirt bags,” “violent criminals” or the “worst of the worst.”

Most members of Florida’s Democratic delegation to Congress — including Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Fort Lauderdale and Frederica Wilson of Miami — signed the petition. Only Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Palm Beach and Broward Counties did not. There were also some California Democrats who signed.

There are over 505,000 beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status from Venezuela in the U.S., according to data from the Congressional Research Service. Florida is home to the largest population of TPS holders out of any state. Nearly 60% of them are Venezuelan.

“We also strongly urge you to re-extend the TPS designation for Venezuela,” the lawmakers wrote, “so we can continue to provide safety and support to Venezuelans fleeing the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis currently plaguing their home.”

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