​​​​​​​WASHINGTON

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Tuesday announced the cancellation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Venezuelan immigrants under the administration of former President Joe Biden.

In an interview with Fox News, Noem criticized former secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for extending TPS protections, saying, "He signed an order that said for 18 months they were going to extend this protection to people on temporary protected status, which meant they were going to be able to stay here and violate our laws for another 18 months."

"And we stopped that today," she said. "We signed an executive order within the Department of Homeland Security, directing that we would not follow through on what he did to tie our hands."

Under the Biden administration, Venezuelans were added to the list of nationalities eligible for TPS, granting them temporary protection for 18 months.

Approximately 1 million people from 17 different countries benefited from TPS, which was designated for individuals fleeing natural disasters or armed conflicts, during Biden's tenure.