“On November 7 I Lose Everything”: A musician’s Fears as TPS Ends
Mariano, a Venezuelan musician living in the United states, faces an uncertain future as his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) work permit is set to expire on November 7th. Having arrived in the US eleven years ago, he initially pursued his dream of studying at Berklee and establishing a life in New York City – dreams that both came true. Now, everything he’s built is threatened.
“Within two hours of being there, I fell in love with the city and told my mother: ‘I want to live here when I grow up.’ And, thank God, I did it,” Mariano shared with EL PAÍS via videoconference from Boston.
Before receiving TPS, Mariano navigated the complexities of student visas and scholarships, constantly seeking a path to legal employment. The process was “tortuous and slow,” and he nearly lost his residency permit due to financial hardship while nearing graduation. The prospect of returning to venezuela triggered bouts of depression and anxiety.
The authorization of TPS for Venezuelans by the Biden administration in 2021 offered a lifeline. “Thanks to it he was able to work,” earning enough to support himself and send remittances to his parents, who later joined him in the United States after his initial departure.
Mariano balances a career as a musician – performing,composing,and teaching music to children – with the precariousness of his immigration status.In 2023, he participated in a three-month tour with the Mexican group RBD, performing in 30 large stadiums across the US, including two sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden.
Despite renewing his TPS this year, Mariano anticipated challenges following Donald Trump’s election victory. “I made the investment in the renovation knowing that it might not be worth anything, that I was going to lose my money,” he admitted. He is now grappling with uncertainty, but determined not to be paralyzed by fear. “I don’t let it eat away at me because if not, I’ll paralyze myself. In his life,he has become accustomed to living with fear and not having it dominate him. “Living in venezuela there was always panic. Everything was survival. And I already feel like I have that built in.I already have it inside me.”
Mariano finds unsettling parallels between the conditions he fled in Venezuela and the current political climate in the United States. “What I feel now is that there are many things similar to Venezuela. In terms of corruption, in terms of fascism, in terms of not having any type of interest or compassion for human beings,” he reflected.
He also expressed a sense of gratitude for his relatively easier path to the US, having arrived by plane, compared to others he’s met. “In new York I connected with other people who left their country on foot, went through the jungle, with babies, with children, seeing dead people, completely terrifying things. I feel blessed because I left Venezuela by plane.”
