Gisela Salomon
DOLAR, Fla. (AP) – As the business owner of the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, Wilmer Escalay is stressed and shocked. He is unsure what steps need to be taken after the Supreme Court allows President Donald Trump to strip legal protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants.
Escaray owns 15 restaurants and three markets, most of which are located in Doral, a city of people in the Miami area known as “Little Venezuela” or “Draalzuela.” At least 70% of Escaray’s 150 employees and many of his clients are Venezuelan immigrants with temporary protected status, also known as TPS.
The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the administration’s plan to end the TPS for 350,000 Venezuelans and lifted the federal judge’s ruling that they could potentially be subject to deportation.
Like many US business owners with Venezuelan employees, Escalai has no direction. He doesn’t know how long the employee will work or whether he can help them, he said.
“It’s going to be really difficult to make an impact on business,” said Escalai, a 37-year-old Venezuelan-American, who came to the US to study in 2007 and opened his first restaurant six years later. “I still don’t know what I’m trying to do. I’ll have to talk to my team, my family and see what the plan is.”
TPS already allows Americans to live and work here legally, as return homes are deemed unsafe due to natural disasters and civic conflicts. The Trump administration said immigration was inadequately vetted after the Biden administration dramatically expanded its designation.
Immigration attorney Evelyn Alexandra Batista said the Supreme Court has not specifically addressed the extension of TPS-based work permits and some work permits remain in effect. However, she warned that there is no guarantee that they will remain in effect as the Supreme Court can change this.
“This means that both employers and employees should seek out all other alternative options because TPS is not intended to be permanent,” said Batista, who has started the immigration crackdown after receiving hundreds of calls from TPS beneficiaries and companies looking for advice within the months of Trump taking office.
Among the options they are exploring are extraordinary capabilities, investment visas and visas for agricultural visas, she said.
The American Business Immigration Union estimates that TPS holders will add $31 billion to the US economy through wages and pay. There are no specific estimates of the impact of Venezuelans, but they account for the largest proportion of TPS beneficiaries.
They work in hospitality, construction, agriculture, healthcare, retail and foodservice.
Original issue: May 20, 2025, 4:50pm EDT
