WASHINGTON (AP) — On Monday, the Supreme Court permitted the Trump administration to revoke legal protections for 350,000 Venezuelans, which may leave them vulnerable to deportation.
The court’s directive came to a halt after a notable Judgment from a federal judge in San Francisco, who upheld the temporary protected status for Venezuelans that was set to expire last month. The Justice did not provide a rationale, which is typical in emergency appeals.
This status currently enables Venezuelans to live and work legally, as they are regarded as unsafe to return due to natural disasters and civil strife.
A federal court of appeals had earlier declined the administration’s request to delay the order while the lawsuit is ongoing.
This case marks the latest in a series of emergency appeals made by President Donald Trump to the Supreme Court, many focusing on immigration. Last week, the government requested the court to explore the potential deportation of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela by ending humanitarian parole.
The Supreme Court was portrayed in Washington on January 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)
The High Court is also engaged in a legal battle regarding Trump’s attempts to remove Venezuelans who have been accused of lingering in a detention center in El Salvador under an 18th-century wartime statute known as the Alien Enemy Law.
The administration has aggressively sought to eliminate various protections that allowed migrants to remain in the country, including the termination of temporary protected status for a total of 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians. This status is typically renewed in increments of 18 months.
The protection was set to lapse on April 7; however, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ordered a suspension of those plans. He determined that the expiration could result in billions of dollars in costs and severely disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Judge Chen, appointed by former Democratic President Barack Obama, found that the government did not sufficiently demonstrate any harm caused by the continuation of the program.
In contrast, Attorney General D. John Sauer argued on behalf of the administration that Chen’s ruling would significantly interfere with the administration’s authority over immigration and diplomatic matters.
Additionally, Sauer asserted that those impacted by the cessation of protected status might possess other legal avenues to remain in the country since “the termination of TPS does not equate to a final removal order.”
Congress established the TPS in 1990 to safeguard individuals from deportation to countries afflicted by natural disasters and civil unrest.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson declined the administration’s emergency appeal.
Source: apnews.com