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A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan and Haitian immigrants, ruling that the move was “unlawful” and based on false rationales.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, an Obama appointee, found that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate the humanitarian program was “preordained without any meaningful analysis and review,” violating federal laws that govern agency decision-making.
The ruling marks the latest chapter in a long-running legal battle that has bounced between the lower courts and the Supreme Court. Last spring, the justices allowed the administration to begin winding down TPS protections temporarily while litigation continued, lifting one of Chen’s earlier injunctions. But in his new 69-page opinion, Chen emphasized that the high court’s order only applied to preliminary relief — not to a final ruling on the merits.
“The Supreme Court’s prior order did not prevent this Court from adjudicating the case fully and entering a final judgment,” Chen wrote. He made his decision effective immediately, citing the “significant rights of the Venezuelan and Haitian TPS holders who have lost or will lose status in the absence of relief.”
TPS protections at stake
TPS is a long-standing immigration program that allows foreign nationals from countries facing humanitarian crises — such as natural disasters, wars, or political collapse — to remain in the U.S. legally and obtain work authorization.
Many Venezuelans and Haitians currently in the program were admitted during President Joe Biden’s administration. But some also arrived during Trump’s first term and were granted similar protections before he left office.
Immigration advocates said the ruling is a critical safeguard for families who would otherwise face sudden deportation. The Trump administration, however, has argued that the program is being misused.
“For decades the TPS program has been abused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in response to the ruling. “While this order delays justice, Secretary Noem will use every legal option to end this chaos and prioritize the safety of Americans. … Unelected activist judges cannot stop the will of the American people for a safe and secure homeland.”
A broader clash with the courts
The decision comes amid intensifying debate over whether lower court judges are defying or testing the limits of Supreme Court rulings. Just last month, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh warned against judicial resistance to emergency orders, while some district judges have argued that the high court’s brief, unexplained rulings leave uncertainty over their scope.
The Supreme Court’s May order in the TPS case offered no reasoning and only noted that immigrants with valid work permits might have stronger claims. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenter.
Chen’s ruling is the latest in a string of setbacks for Trump’s immigration agenda. In recent weeks, lower courts have also blocked his attempt to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan gang members and halted the administration’s decision to cut off Harvard University’s federal funding. While the Supreme Court has sometimes sided with the administration in emergency appeals, broader litigation on multiple fronts continues.
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