Last week, Venezuelans in Charlotte gathered to protest President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration, as he declared victory despite allegations of election fraud.
Since Maduro came into power in Venezuela in 2013, succeeding strongman Hugo Chavez, the economy has crumbled. Political repression soared. And millions have descended into poverty, even going without food while hunger spreads. Hundreds of thousands have come to the United States to seek refuge.
Maria is one of them.
“I’m one of those generations that never saw the paradise of Venezuela. I think I was just 2 when Chavez took power," Maria said.
She moved to Charlotte and began studying at Central Piedmont Community College, working her way to getting her bachelor’s degree at Queens University of Charlotte. She now works for a nonprofit, thanks to Temporary Protected Status, helping students like her who aren’t U.S. citizens.
“I’ve had a second chance at building a life again," Maria said. “It gave me the chance to have a career and help my community, as well.”
Latinos aren’t the only beneficiaries. Olha is a Ukrainian who moved to Charlotte in April 2022, a couple of months after Russia invaded Ukraine. She is also a TPS holder, and works in the nonprofit sector, helping refugees who come to Charlotte.
“TPS allowed us to work here legally and stay here legally," Olha said.
Olha came to Charlotte with only her daughter. She has no other family members here. She can’t see herself returning to Ukraine anytime soon. She says missiles destroyed her apartment in Sumy.
“We understand that it’s temporary, but it helps us to sit and think how we can be useful for this country — and how we can help this country be better," Olha said.
WFAE is only using Maria's and Olha's first names to protect their identities.
TPS was created in 1990 by Congress. It’s provided to citizens of specially designated countries experiencing circumstances such as armed conflict or natural disasters.
TPS designations are valid for periods of six to 18 months and can be extended if a country continues to meet the criteria. Countries that currently have a TPS designation include Venezuela, Ukraine, Haiti, El Salvador and Afghanistan, among others.
As of last year, there were over 800,000 TPS beneficiaries in the U.S. In North Carolina, there are over 20,000.
“A lot of them have been here for over decades," said Liz Zipperer, an immigration attorney with International House, who previously worked with TPS applicants. "They’ve started families. A lot of them have U.S.-born children. They contribute so much to the economy.”
With President-elect Trump taking office in less than a week, the future of TPS remains uncertain. In October, Trump told NewsNation he would remove Haitian immigrants on TPS.
"I'd revoke it, and I'd bring them back to their country," Trump said.
Trump has also promised mass deportations, putting those on visas, green cards and TPS beneficiaries on edge. The president could attempt to revoke TPS designations for specific countries, but not do away with the program entirely.
“A president can terminate it through the attorney general and the Department of Homeland Security, not the program in and of itself, because that is in the Immigration and Nationality Act that was written by Congress," Zipperer said.
Maria from Venezuela is not sure what this would mean for her future. Her home country is still in turmoil.
"It will mean I will say goodbye to the community I have built here," Maria said. "I have been here almost 10 years."
Olha from Ukraine also is not sure where she would go.
"If I come back to Ukraine, it's still a war and my town is so close to the border," Olha said. "Every day, it is under missile attacks."
Amarra Ghani leads Welcome Home Charlotte, a nonprofit that provides relief and aid to new refugees in the area. She says TPS beneficiaries contribute to the city, and it would be a big loss if they were deported.
"We would lose out on so much opportunity to 'Make America Great Again,'" Ghani said. "We would lose a lot of opportunity to do that because we are thinkers and we are innovators."
Ghani and other organizations in Charlotte are ready to help people whose legal statuses could be in limbo under the Trump administration.