WASHINGTON—As one of his final acts in office, President Trump has authorized a program to give work permits and deportation protections to Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S.

The designation formally known as Deferred Enforced Departure offers legal protections to any Venezuelan national present in the U.S.

government can use against Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan authoritarian leader whom the Trump administration has targeted with sanctions, a limited travel ban and other measures.

TPS is roughly identical to the Deferred Enforced Departure program in the protections it offers.