According to a report, entertainment giant Disney is laying off 45 employees of Venezuelan nationality in the wake of the Trump administration’s cancellation of their immigration status.
The Biden administration invited approximately 350,000 unvetted Venezuelans into the country and gave them expedited entry and temporary legal status. But the Trump administration has now cancelled that temporary status and informed the migrants that they must return home. And this month the U.S. Supreme Court agreed that the administration had the power to take that action.
Consequently, Disney informed its Venezuelan employees that they would be placed on unpaid leave starting on May 20, according to Bloomberg.
The company told employees on the list that they had until the 20th to provide updated work and residency requirements or face layoffs.
“As we sort out the complexities of this situation, we have placed affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not in violation of the law,” Disney told Bloomberg. “We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families.”
Congress established the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 1990 to be conferred on people who might be facing immediate peril in their homeland either from natural disaster, or social and political upheaval.
The U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on a lower court ruling preventing the administration from ending TPS for Venezuelans and allowed the government to move forward with its plans as the lawsuit against its actions continues.
The high court did not rule on the merits of ending the status for Venezuelans, but is allowing the administration to continue implementing its policy pending the lawsuit.
Editor’s Note: The Disney Corporation has confirmed that despite initial reports of laying off 300 employees, the total number is 45. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.
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