Disney tells Venezuelans on TPS: Find a new legal way to work or you’re out of a job

The Walt Disney Company has notified dozens of Venezuelan employees they might lose their jobs after the Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration could end their deportation protections and work permits under Temporary Protected Status.

The corporation, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, placed approximately 45 of “cast members” — as Disney refers to its employees — on unpaid leave, according to emails provided to the Miami Herald. The correspondence also informed the workers. that they would be dismissed after 30 days if they do not get alternative work authorization.

“I am very distressed,” one woman in her late 40s who works at Disney World in Orlando told the Miami Herald. “We have bills, we just renewed our apartment lease, my son goes to college.”

She asked to remain anonymous out of fear that speaking publicly could jeopardize her chances of returning to her job or lead to retaliation.

In a statement, a Disney spokesperson told the Herald it “had placed the affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not in violation of the law.”

“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,” said the spokesperson.

It is unclear how many affected Venezuelan employees were located in Florida, but the Miami Herald talked to some in Orlando, where Disney’s flagship park is located.