Ambassador visiting Utah urges Venezuelans to apply for protected status before Friday deadline

Carlos Vecchio, who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela's ambassador, speaks during a news conference on June 11, 2019, in Miami. Vecchio visited Utah on Thursday.

Carlos Vecchio, who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela's ambassador, speaks during a news conference on June 11, 2019, in Miami. Vecchio visited Utah on Thursday. (Brynn Anderson)


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SANDY — As the clock ticks down for Venezuelans in the U.S. to apply for a specialized immigration status, Venezuela's ambassador to the U.S. visited Utah and urged Venezuelans in the state to apply.

"This is a privilege that any immigrant in the U.S. would want to have," Ambassador Carlos Vecchio said in Spanish to a crowd of Venezuelans at Salt Lake Community College on Thursday night. "Please apply."

Vecchio's visit comes after the Biden administration announced it would extend Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans already in the U.S. as of March 2021. TPS, as the status is commonly referred to, is granted to immigrants from specially designated countries who cannot return to their country of origin due to ongoing armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary reasons.

Sara Guerra and her son, Sebastián Rojas, were among the dozens of Venezuelans who attended the ambassador's visit. Guerra came to the event with a mission: to find out whether her son's immigration status would prevent him from attending an elite soccer camp in Spain this February.

Both she and her son have TPS and have also applied for asylum, but their asylum cases are pending. Rojas has played soccer since he was a toddler, and Guerra was determined her son wouldn't miss out on this "golden opportunity." After Guerra posed her situation to the ambassador during a Q&A, Vecchio was able to confirm that Rojas could in fact receive permission to attend the camp despite his immigration status. The crowd erupted into applause.

"We're very happy," Guerra said in Spanish during an interview with KSL.com. "As a mother, I hope this can be a motivation to other moms to not let their kids give up on their dreams."

The mother and son are among over 6 million Venezuelans who have fled their country amid violence, food and medicine shortages, corruption, inflation and gang warfare under the regime of President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. and the majority of other Western and Latin American countries recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó, not Maduro, as Venezuela's legitimate head of state. Guaidó appointed Vecchio as ambassador to the U.S. in 2019.


This is a privilege that any immigrant in the U.S. would want to have. Please apply.

– Ambassador Carlos Vecchio


Vecchio said the manner in which so many Venezuelans have had to flee their country is far from normal, adding that his own decision to leave Venezuela was the most difficult decision of his life.

"One has to have a lot of courage to stay in Venezuela," Vecchio said. "But one also has to have a lot of courage to abandon our country and leave on a trajectory where we didn't know what would happen."

About 112,000 Venezuelans currently have TPS, although 323,000 were originally estimated to be eligible. Those who were eligible but did not apply have until Friday, Sept. 9, to do so. In order to be eligible for TPS, Venezuelans must:

  • File during the open initial registration or re-registration period.
  • Have been continuously physically present in the U.S. since March 9, 2021.
  • Have been continuously residing in the U.S. since March 8, 2021.
  • Complete form I-821 with U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services and pay the filing fee.
  • Present proof of identity and nationality.

Venezuelans who already have TPS must re-register between Sept. 8 and Nov. 7. Those who have a pending TPS application do not need to re-register.

About 250,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. are not eligible for TPS because they arrived after March 2021. Those outside the U.S. are also ineligible. The Biden administration opted not to extend TPS to recently arrived Venezuelans, citing concerns that such a decision would incentivize additional migration to the U.S.

Nonprofit Alianza Venezolana de Utah offered TPS help during the ambassador's visit. The organization is available on social media to help individuals connect with lawyers and other immigration experts.

"We want to make sure people get the right information as an organization, so we work together with multiple entities to make sure that our community gets that," director Jesler Molina told KSL.com. "It's important that people know that they need to do the right thing. If you're applying for something, just make sure you consult with the right people and make sure you get the information from sources that are reliable."

Although the organization doesn't have the resources to offer financial help with immigration processes, Molina said the lawyers it works with are affordable and offer payment plans.

"The most important part is that first interview with them is free," he said. "The Venezuelan Alliance is here to guide you guys. If you have questions on how to do stuff in Utah, we're here for you."

Additional information about TPS for Venezuelans is available on the Venezuelan embassy website and on the USCIS website.

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Sydnee Chapman Gonzalez is a reporter and recent Utah transplant. She works at the Utah Investigative Journalism Project and was previously at KSL.com and the Wenatchee World in Washington. Her reporting has focused on marginalized communities, homelessness and local government. She grew up in Arizona and has lived in various parts of Mexico. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, rock climbing and embroidery.

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