SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from invalidating legal documents and work permits for about 5,000 Venezuelan migrants, offering a partial reprieve amid the broader termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued the ruling late Friday in San Francisco, concluding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem likely overstepped her authority when she moved in February to nullify documentation granted under the TPS program. These permits had allowed Venezuelans to live and work legally in the U.S.
The ruling impacts a small but vulnerable subset of the nearly 350,000 Venezuelans whose protections were put at risk after the U.S. Supreme Court on May 19 allowed the Trump administration to proceed with ending TPS for the group—a key part of Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
However, the Supreme Court explicitly stated that its decision did not prevent legal challenges to the revocation of individual TPS-related documents, setting the stage for Chen’s ruling.
The documents at issue were issued after the Department of Homeland Security extended TPS for Venezuelans in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration, prolonging protections through October 2026. Noem reversed that decision earlier this year, triggering fears among TPS holders of job loss or deportation.
TPS is a humanitarian program granted to migrants from nations suffering from armed conflict, natural disasters, or extraordinary conditions. In court filings, attorneys for affected Venezuelans and the National TPS Alliance argued that thousands of migrants were at risk of losing employment and stability if the documents were invalidated.
In siding with the plaintiffs, Judge Chen, an appointee of President Barack Obama, emphasized that federal law governing TPS contains no provision authorizing the secretary to retroactively invalidate documents already granted under the program.
Chen also noted that the number of individuals affected—just 5,000 out of 350,000 TPS holders—undermines any claim that they pose an economic burden or security threat.
“This smaller number cuts against any contention that the continued presence of these TPS holders… would be a toll on the national or local economies or a threat to national security,” Chen wrote.
As of Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security had not responded to requests for comment.
Chen’s ruling came just hours after a separate Supreme Court decision allowed Trump’s administration to dismantle another immigration program: Biden’s “humanitarian parole” policy, which had protected more than 532,000 migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
Together, the rulings illustrate the growing legal push-and-pull over immigration as the Trump administration reasserts its policies amid widespread challenges and humanitarian concerns.
