Hard choices for Venezuelans living in the U.S.
- jjcarney100team
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
Here’s just one from the Chicago Tribune this morning.
“After more than five years in Chicago under TPS (Temporary Protected Status), Luis Jose Castro decided to return to Venezuela. Without protection and with little hope of obtaining asylum, he felt trapped. He also longed to see his two children and his parents who live there.
“More than anything, he said, he wants to see his ailing father. ’It’s not worth it (staying here), I feel persecuted and I have never felt persecuted in my life,’ Castro said of immigration enforcement.
“Castro is from Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. After arriving in Chicago, Castro worked as a construction worker before becoming a paralegal, helping thousands of recently arrived migrants assess their legal cases and apply for asylum.
“On Jan. 27, Castro, an attorney by trade, plans to board a plane with a one-way ticket, hoping to take part in the creation of a new democracy in his country. ‘Venezuela needs us more than ever,’ Castro said.
“Though there is uncertainty about who will lead, how change will come or when it will happen in Venezuela, he believes the U.S. and Venezuela will eventually establish a strong diplomatic relationship that will benefit those who remain in the U.S., those who return home and those already living there.
“...his wife and son have chosen to remain in Chicago.”
Note: After a back-and-forth under the Biden administration, which extended TPS to Venezuelans first in 2021 and again in 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court last year allowed the Trump administration to cancel TPS protections for roughly 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants.
Photo credit: Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
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