Venezuelan Immigrants Receive Help with TPS Applications at Catholic Charities

Venezuelan Angie Viloria arrived early at St. Teresa Catholic Church on the Lower East Side to receive help filling out the TPS application.

Viloria has been in NY for about a year and Temporary Protected Status would give him peace of mind for the future.

“Yes, we already have a status, a legal status in the country, we are not, as they say, illegal. We can have our work permit and we come to work. It really is a good help,” said Viloria.

Like her, thousands of her compatriots will be able to benefit from this benefit, thanks to an extension only for Venezuelans who arrived in New York City before August 2023.

“Among the requirements that they need, the first is to prove their nationality or know that they are Venezuelan. This can be through a birth certificate or a passport. The Venezuelan ID, for example, they need to show that they arrived in the country before July 31 and have had permanent residence in the country. Before that date, too,” explained Aidan Arzola, manager, legal clinics at Catholic Charities.

Dozens of attorneys and legal experts from Catholic Charities of NY guided them and helped them fill out the forms at a free legal clinic.

“I think it’s a great idea because we have been scammed by many charlatans. They charge up to 300, 200 to do something that is simple, but for us it is complicated because sometimes we don’t understand the language. And besides, there are many questions that are repeated many times and it confuses us a little,” said Tailyn Oropeza, another Venezuelan immigrant.

Oropeza.

According to data from the mayor’s office, a little more than 60 thousand immigrants are in the care of the city. Of them, at least 10,000 are of Venezuelan nationality, ranging in age from 18 years and older and who could fill out the TPS application.

“It is a temporary protection that is given to people where in a certain country, in this case, it would be people from Venezuela, it protects them from deportation, which is a great advantage because as I said before, it allows them to have a permit to work. “added Arzola.

And as we heard, TPS is not a path to residency, however, it protects you from being deported. Now, asylum, if approved, would be a path to residency and eventually citizenship.

2023-11-03 19:37:00
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