Disney suspends Venezuelan workers after protected status revoked

Entertainment giant Disney has placed at least 45 Venezuelan employees on unpaid leave, the company told AFP Thursday, following the US Supreme Court's decision to allow the revocation of a special legal status that shielded them from deportation.

Shortly after returning to office, President Donald Trump revoked temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals, which shields foreign citizens from deportation who cannot safely return home -- affecting about 350,000 people.

The US Supreme Court has allowed that revocation to stand pending an appeal in a lower court.

"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," a spokesperson for Disney said in a statement, however, noting the leave is "unpaid."

"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," the statement added.

The entertainment giant informed workers placed on leave that their employment will be terminated if they do not find an alternate work permit within 30 days, according to the Miami Herald.

It was not immediately clear where all of the employees worked, but the newspaper said it had spoken to several who work at Disney World in Orlando.

One Venezuelan Disney employee, a woman in her 40s, told the Herald she was "very distressed" by the suspension.

"We have bills, we just renewed our apartment lease, my son goes to college," she told the publication.

Former president Joe Biden had extended TPS for Venezuelans for 18 months just days before Trump returned to the White House in January, citing ongoing crises in the South American country under longtime ruler Nicolas Maduro.

But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to revoke the protections, leading to the ensuing court battle.