The White House announced late Wednesday that it will extend temporary protection status to about 472,000 migrants from Venezuela, including more than 60,000 in New York City who have been waiting for the legal right to work. | John Minchillo/AP Photo

By Emily Ngo

09/20/2023 09:41 PM EDT

NEW YORK — The Biden administration on Wednesday expanded temporary protected status for Venezuela, making close to 500,000 newcomers freshly eligible to apply for work permits.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas extended and redesigned Venezuela for TPS for 18 months, following a review of country conditions, a senior Biden administration official told reporters.

About 472,000 individuals are newly eligible and will able to apply for TPS, as well as get work papers, the official said.

The move has been urged by local leaders across the country as a way to make the migrants eligible to legally work. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have been pressing the White House to expand the status to migrants who came to the state from troubled countries.

The New York Immigration Coalition estimated the change will impact about 60,000 Venezuelans in New York who can now “quickly acquire work authorizations and immediately start contributing to our local economy and communities.”

“After my productive conversation with President Biden last night, I’m grateful the federal government has acted so speedily to grant one of our top priorities: providing temporary protected...

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