Walt Disney World has placed dozens of Venezuelan employees on unpaid leave after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration’s move to strip legal protections for 350,000 Venezuelan migrants.
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According to Bloomberg, Walt Disney Co. notified the 47 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Venezuelan employees at Walt Disney World that they have been placed on 30-day unpaid leave, which went into effect on May 20. The impacted employees must provide new, valid work authorization at the end of their leave, or they will be fired.
One of the employees under TPS status revealed they were turned away from a Walt Disney World resort when they reported for work on Tuesday.
The Walt Disney Co. also confirmed that the employees were placed on leave in a statement. “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,” the statement then reads. “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 U.S. Supreme Court Decision on TPS Was Called a “Win” by the Department of Homeland Security
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration to end legal protections for Venezuelan migrants under TPS. This move strips the migrants of the right to temporarily live and work in the U.S. Along with losing their jobs, the migrants could be deported.
There are approximately 360,000 people with TPS status in Florida; 60% of those people are from Venezuela.
The Department of Homeland Security called the court’s decision a “win” for the American people.
“The Trump administration is reinstituting integrity into our immigration to keep our homeland and its people safe,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin also stated.
Meanwhile, Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani spoke out against Walt Disney World’s decision. “Disney sets the standard—other companies in our economy look toward them,” she explained. We don’t have enough workers as it is, so this is a bad situation that’s getting worse.
“Plus, you can’t AI a Disney cast member who is delivering an unforgettable guest experience,” she added.