Venezuelan exiles push US for emergency TPS after deadly earthquakes

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on 24 June 2026 (magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5), killing at least 4,490 people, injuring 16,740 and displacing 17,907. The exile organization Venezolanos Perseguidos Políticos en el Exilio (Veppex) petitioned U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern and Chris Smith, urging the House Human Rights Committee to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans in the United States. The letter cited the “grave humanitarian emergency” and the Venezuelan state's inability to respond, asking the committee to publicly support the measure and press the Department of Homeland Security and the White House to activate it before an upcoming hearing on 15 July 2026. In parallel, a coalition of fifteen Venezuelan and international NGOs wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding full transparency and accountability for all aid received after the quakes, removal of obstacles imposed by the Venezuelan regime, independent verification of assistance, tax exemptions, legal protection for aid workers, and the restoration of TPS while halting deportations.