MIAMI — Venezuelan organizations in Miami will ask President Donald Trump to grant immigration protection measures to Venezuelans in the United States to prevent them from being deported following the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela.

The death toll rose to at least 589 people on Friday morning, with more than 2,980 injured, according to figures provided by Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. Authorities warn the death toll will likely climb.

The two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck just 39 seconds apart Wednesday evening and devastated large areas of Caracas and the neighboring state of La Guaira, where authorities say the destruction remains especially severe.

Helene Villalonga, president of the Multicultural Association of Activists Voice and Expression, , told the Miami Herald they will ask Trump for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in a letter the group will send Monday.

The activist believes Venezuelans qualify for that immigration relief because of the magnitude of the disaster. The government reported 250 buildings have collapsed or been severely damaged and nearly 3,000 families have been displaced from the earthquakes.

“Venezuelans qualify, just as Hondurans did after Hurricane Mitch, as Haitians did, and every country that has gone through a natural disaster has had the opportunity to receive protection from the United States,” she said.

“Because of the severity of the catastrophe that has occurred, I believe we have the opportunity to close the chapter on a political TPS and open a new TPS,” she said.

José Antonio Colina, president of Venezuelans Persecuted for Political Reasons in Exile, said he supports Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), a measure that could benefit nearly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.

“Given the disaster conditions Venezuela is facing at this moment, we believe it is appropriate for Venezuelans who are in the United States to be able to enjoy some type of protection that allows them to remain in the United States,” he said.

“It makes no sense to send Venezuelans to a country that is a disaster zone where the authorities basically cannot cope with the tragedy,” he added.

He and Villalonga will be at El Arepazo in Doral at 12:30 Friday to announce their mission.

Colina believes there’s a possibility that some form of immigration relief will be granted to Venezuelans, since the Trump administration now considers Venezuela an ally and is sending personnel and humanitarian aid following the earthquakes.

©2026 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.