TAMPA, Fla. — Andreina Barroso spent 11 years building a life and a beauty business in Tampa. After her Temporary Protected Status expired, she chose to leave the United States on her own terms — returning to Venezuela, to start over.
Barroso first spoke with Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez last November, hiding her face out of fear of immigration authorities. Now, she is sharing her story openly.
Watch full report from Annette Gutierrez
"I moved into my apartment two days ago - actually, by myself, and yeah, so the transition - have been sometimes difficult, but at the same time, I feel like I made the right decision," Barroso said.
The decision came after years of doing things by the book, she said. When her Temporary Protected Status expired, she felt she had no other choice.
"It was not an option to be illegal there, because I work a lot of years there, doing the right things," Barroso said.
She also said she refused to live in constant anxiety.
"I don't want to feel paranoid if I see ICE, or to be hiding," Barroso said.
So she packed her bags, sold her business and returned to Venezuela.
"Those days, my heart was broken. It's still broken, but I have resilience," Barroso said.
Last year, President Trump's administration ended Temporary Protected Status for most Venezuelans, leaving thousands of migrants with that status worried about their future. During last night's State of the Union address, the president addressed immigration directly.
"The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens," Trump said.
Despite the difficulty of her transition, Barroso said she is happy to be home.
"I'm glad to come in here now. Because I feel I arrived in the best moment," Barroso said.
That feeling grew stronger after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured in a U.S. military operation in January.
"[It] took me by surprise. I didn't understand what [was] going on in that moment. I feel like Venezuela has a big change [coming] in the next months and years," Barroso said.
She said some cities still experience power and water outages for hours, and while she does not believe her Temporary Protected Status should have been revoked, she was surprised by how much safer the country feels now.
"You can be with your phone, you can be, like, wearing, like, you know, nice shoes or everything, so it's not in the past you feel panic — if you have your phone in your hands, no, no, no, this is not happening. It's safe," Barroso said.
Although the transition has been challenging, Barroso said her faith and perseverance are keeping her positive as she works to launch a new business in Caracas.
"I'm very excited," Barroso said.
Barroso said she plans to open the doors of her new beauty business as early as Monday.
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