In just a few weeks, tens of thousands of Venezuelans in Illinois could be put at risk for deportation.

That’s because of the Trump administration’s move to cut short the 2023 temporary protected status for Venezuela. It’s set to end April 7.

The change doesn’t affect the 2021 protected designation, which expires in September.

Without these protections, many Venezuelans will be left without legal status and could lose financial assistance, work permits and other benefits.

“The problem is, we are creating a wave of undocumented Venenzuelans,” said Daysi Funes, executive director of community-based organization Centro Romero. “They don’t know English; they don’t know how to navigate the system. They’re new in this country. They have children that are here. They’re losing their jobs.”

Temporary protected status (TPS) is a designation the U.S. government gives for countries it deems too dangerous to humanely send its citizens back to. Eligible migrants from designated countries can apply for protections from deportation if they arrived in the U.S. by a certain date.

Days before President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the Biden administration extended the 2023 TPS designation for Venezuela 18 more months. It was then set to expire on Oct. 2, 2026.

But the Trump administration changed that, cutting off the designation to its original expiration date in April 2025.

The Department of Homeland Security said it was ending TPS for Venezuela because there have been “notable improvements in several areas,” such as crime, the economy and public health.

Hannah Blackwell, an immigration attorney, said that’s not the reality, especially with the ongoing violence and political instability in the country. She pointed to the July 2024 Venezuelan election, which resulted in President Nicolás Maduro winning a third term despite evidence that the opposition had won more votes.

“People have been able to take a deep breath and know they’re not going to be deported back to their country that is in turmoil,” Blackwell said. “For the last almost two years, we’ve seen that for Venezuela and it’s very unfortunate that it’s being stripped because it is still such a dangerous place.”

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that TPS was only ever meant to be a short-term protection.

“We are returning integrity to the TPS system, which has been abused and exploited by illegal aliens for decades,” the statement said.

But that’s not the reality for Venezuelan business owner María Uzcátegui, who said she and her family have been trying to build lives in Chicago. She came to the U.S. from Venezuela with her husband in 2014 and started a restaurant with three locations in the city.

Uzcátegui has temporary protected status until September, but is worried about what the change could mean for her friends, family and employees who have the 2023 designation. She also has to think about next steps if she does lose her protection six months later.

“Being a Venezuelan immigrant, it’s hard when you are trying to do things the right way and they think you’re a criminal for coming from a country that is unstable,” said Uzcátegui. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, if we have to start thinking about going to another country.”

Centro Romero has managed hotels and shelters for Venezuelan migrants coming into Chicago since they started arriving in large groups in 2022. The organization is planning fundraisers to get more resources to help Venezuelans as they face losing their protections.

Funes said she’s seen many Venezuelans deal with housing and health challenges as they settled in the city. She said the end of TPS will add an extra burden to their struggles with accessing stable housing, health insurance, jobs and education.

“They’re losing everything,” Funes said. “So where do they go from here now? What do they do? So we’re trying to look for solutions — helping them with English classes, literacy in Spanish. We’re making sure they’re continuing with their education and going to school.”

Despite the worry and uncertainty she feels, Uzcátegui said she feels that Chicago is her home.

“When I think of Chicago, the first word I think of is opportunity — the ability to do whatever you want to do,” Uzcátegui said. “We have two kids that were born here. We’re grateful for the opportunities, the health care, that they can go to school for free. We’ve been here for 10 years.”

Centro Romero is accepting donations here to support Venezuelans living in Chicago.

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