Federal Judge in San Francisco Halts Trump Administration’s Plan to End Legal Protections for Venezuelans
A federal judge in San Francisco has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s plans to terminate temporary legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, just a week before their protections were set to expire. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s order provides relief for 350,000 Venezuelans who were at risk of losing their Temporary Protected Status on April 7, following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to reverse protections previously granted by the Biden administration.
In his ruling, Judge Chen expressed concern that ending TPS for Venezuelans would cause irreparable harm to those individuals and their families, disrupt livelihoods, impact the economy, and pose risks to public health and safety across the United States. He stated that the government had not provided sufficient justification for terminating the protections and suggested that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that such actions are unlawful, arbitrary, and potentially motivated by unconstitutional bias.
Judge Chen’s order, issued in response to a lawsuit brought by the National TPS Alliance, applies nationwide. He also granted a one-week extension for the government to file an appeal and for the plaintiffs to seek protections for 500,000 Haitians whose TPS status is set to expire in August. The judge’s decision marks a victory for the migrant community, with advocates emphasizing the importance of standing together to protect the rights of all individuals affected by changes in immigration policy.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment on the ruling. Temporary Protected Status, established by Congress in 1990, provides authorization for individuals from countries experiencing crises to live and work in the U.S. based on conditions in their home countries. The recent reversals in TPS decisions represent a significant shift in immigration policy and have sparked legal battles amid ongoing debates over the treatment of immigrants in the United States.
The decisions were deemed beyond judicial review, with plaintiffs having no authority to obstruct the secretary’s orders. However, Chen disagreed with the government’s arguments, pointing out derogatory and false comments made by Noem and Trump against Venezuelans, suggesting racial bias played a role in ending protections.
Chen stated that acting on negative group stereotypes and applying them to a whole group is a clear example of racism. Biden significantly increased the use of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and other temporary protection measures to create more legal pathways for living in the United States, while also suspending asylum for those who enter illegally.
Trump criticized the impartiality of a federal judge who blocked his plans to deport Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, just before his administration appealed to lift the judge’s order. The administration announced the revocation of temporary protections for over 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived in the U.S. since October 2022 through humanitarian parole. These individuals, who have been granted two-year work permits, will see them expire on April 24.
