Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Effort to End TPS Protections for Over 1 Million Venezuelans and Haitians
In a significant setback to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda, a federal judge in San Francisco has halted the termination of temporary legal protections for more than 1.1 million immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti, preserving their ability to live and work legally in the United States amid ongoing crises in their home countries. The ruling, issued on September 5, 2025, underscores the legal limits of executive power in immigration policy and highlights the human stakes in America’s polarized debate over border security and humanitarian relief.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s 69-page decision blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for approximately 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians. These protections, extended by the Biden administration, were set to expire for many Venezuelans in April 2025 or September 10, 2025, potentially leading to mass deportations. Chen ruled that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s actions exceeded her statutory authority, were arbitrary and capricious, and lacked the reasoned decision-making required by law. “This case arose from action taken post haste by the current DHS Secretary… to revoke the legal status of Venezuelan and Haitian TPS holders, sending them back to conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries,” Chen wrote, criticizing the “unprecedented in the manner and speed” revocation process. The judge noted that for 35 years, TPS decisions have involved careful inter-agency consultation— a step he said Noem bypassed.
The lawsuit was filed in February 2025 by the National TPS Alliance and a group of Venezuelan TPS holders, later joined by Haitian beneficiaries, challenging Noem’s unilateral reversal of three Biden-era extensions. Noem had argued that conditions in Venezuela and Haiti had improved sufficiently and that continuing the program was not in the national interest. However, Chen found no evidence of proper analysis, calling the process “truncated and condensed” and potentially motivated by discrimination against these nationalities. While the ruling restores status for those affected, it remains unclear if it will aid individuals already deported or separated from families since the Supreme Court’s May 2025 decision allowing initial terminations to proceed during litigation. Verified court documents detail cases like a Venezuelan restaurant hostess deported after a routine check-in, leaving her U.S.-based family in turmoil.
To contextualize this development, TPS is a humanitarian program established by Congress in 1990 to shield immigrants from deportation when their home countries face armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Venezuela’s designation stemmed from its prolonged economic collapse, hyperinflation, political corruption, and mass unemployment under President Nicolás Maduro, driving millions to flee since the mid-2010s. Haiti received TPS after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 and displaced 1.5 million; ongoing issues include gang violence, hunger, and political instability. Under Biden, TPS was extended for Venezuelans in 2021 and 2023, and for Haitians multiple times, allowing holders work authorization and deportation relief. Trump’s second term has prioritized dismantling such programs, fulfilling campaign promises to deport millions and curb legal immigration pathways. In March 2025, Chen issued a temporary block on Venezuelan TPS terminations, upheld by an appeals court in August but paused by the Supreme Court in May, leading to reported job losses, detentions, and deportations for thousands.
Reactions poured in swiftly from advocates and officials. Emi MacLean, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, hailed the decision as a victory against “discriminatory and harmful” policies: “In recent months, people have suffered unspeakable harm—including deportation and family separation—due to the Supreme Court greenlighting Secretary Noem’s agenda.” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., whose district includes large Venezuelan and Haitian communities, tweeted: “TPS recipients are legal. Trump’s attempts to revoke their status were illegal. The judge just made that distinction clear.” On the administration’s side, a DHS spokesperson decried the ruling, stating the program has been “abused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program” and that “unelected activist judges cannot stop the American people’s desire for a secure country.” The department has indicated plans to appeal, potentially escalating the case to higher courts. Noem, during a recent tour of an immigration detention facility in Louisiana, has defended the crackdown as essential for prioritizing American safety.
The implications of Chen’s ruling are profound, offering immediate relief to over a million individuals integrated into U.S. communities—many in states like Florida, Texas, and California, where they contribute to sectors like construction, hospitality, and small businesses. It could avert family separations and economic disruptions, but an appeal might prolong uncertainty, especially with the administration’s broader efforts to end humanitarian parole for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV program), affecting another 500,000. Next steps include DHS’s anticipated appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, possible Supreme Court involvement, and ongoing lawsuits challenging related policies like new detention centers. Advocacy groups like the Haitian Bridge Alliance urge Congress to reform TPS for permanence, while critics warn of strained resources in high-immigration areas.
This judicial intervention serves as a reminder of the checks and balances in U.S. immigration enforcement, protecting vulnerable populations from abrupt policy shifts. For Venezuelans and Haitians, the takeaway is a temporary reprieve in an uncertain landscape: While the ruling affirms their legal standing, sustained advocacy and legislative action are crucial to prevent future reversals and ensure long-term stability for those fleeing peril.