TAMPA, Fla. — The new Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans immigrants in the United States, which was granted by the Biden administration on Wednesday, will prevent a Tampa rideshare driver from being deported for more than one year.

“There’s always that fear of being sent back to your country,” said Ronald Arboleda, 36. “There’s always that fear and now there’s the opportunity to make a new life here.”

Homeland Security plans to grant TPS to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country between March 8, 2021, and July 21, 2023, according to Tampa immigration attorney Milton Toro Marquez.

“TPS was due to expire March 2024,” he said. “They have now extended that for the people who already have TPS for an additional 18 months. Meaning it’ll expire, I think, September 2025.”

Marquez said he has been working on Arboleda’s asylum case, which if not approved meant deportation back to Valenzuela. The attorney said it’s very difficult to win an asylum case with the highest approval rates from judges ranging from 12 to 15%.

“It’s proceedings for deportation and you have to defend it,” Marquez said. “He (Arboleda) can now have that dismissed once his TPS is approved.”

Marquez said immigrants must apply for TPS and will automatically qualify for work authorization. Arboleda hired Marquez because he wants to stay in the country legally and hopes to build a life for his family.

“I can now cover my own costs, my own bills and begin to work toward my goals,” he said. “I want my son to grow and be able to go to the university and for my family to be okay.”

Arboleda said he’s applying for other jobs and wants to find something where the income is steady.