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Appropriations panel hears pleas for continued TPS protections for Afghans and Venezuelans; committee seeks DHS briefings
Summary
Members debated the Trump administration's decisions to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Afghans and Venezuelans. Some amendments seeking to bar funding for deportations failed or were withdrawn; the committee adopted report language directing DHS to reassess the Venezuela TPS termination and brief lawmakers.
Lawmakers pressed the Department of Homeland Security over recent administration decisions to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans and Afghans and sought protections for people who were admitted under TPS or who helped U.S. forces abroad.
What happened: Rep. Mary McCollum (D‑Minn.) offered, then withdrew, an amendment to prohibit use of funds to deport Afghan nationals who had held TPS; she said members agreed to try to draft a bipartisan floor amendment after the markup. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D‑Fla.) offered an amendment to prohibit using bill funds to detain or deport Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries; the committee approved a revised approach that directs DHS to reexamine the department’s termination of TPS for Venezuela and to brief the committee on its findings within 30 days.
Why it matters: Members described dire conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and said U.S. policy should protect Afghans who helped American forces and people who fled widespread human rights abuses. On Venezuela, Democrats argued the Maduro regime remains repressive and that terminating TPS leaves many at risk. Republicans and the subcommittee chair argued DHS has statutory authority to designate or terminate TPS and has responsibility to evaluate homeland security considerations.
Committee action: The subcommittee adopted report language (modified second‑degree language) that asks the secretary to revisit the Venezuela TPS termination and to brief the committee on the factors that informed that decision. A separate Afghan TPS amendment was withdrawn after members agreed to pursue a bipartisan solution and to continue negotiations after the markup; no broad prohibition funding to deport Afghans was adopted on the markup floor.
Supporting details: Members described individual cases — including a child with a serious medical condition separated from family after evacuation — and cited State Department travel advisories and human‑rights reporting when arguing for continued TPS protections. The subcommittee chair said DHS has discretion under statute to make TPS determinations and that authorizers and the department should be able to evaluate the conditions and vet beneficiaries.
Ending: The committee’s actions signaled continued congressional scrutiny: members on both sides urged either protective fixes (for vulnerable TPS holders and U.S. allies) or more rigorous vetting, and the panel required a departmental briefing on Venezuela TPS to supply lawmakers more information before further legislative steps.
