U.S. judge halts Trump's attempt to nullify legitimate papers of approximately 5000 Venezuelans
Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration from Revoking Legal Status for Thousands of Venezuelans
A U.S. District Judge, Edward Chen of San Francisco, has prevented the Trump administration from invalidating work permits and other documents that grant legal status to approximately 5,000 Venezuelans, a segment of the nearly 350,000 whose temporary legal protection the Supreme Court allowed to lapse.
Judge Chen determined on Friday that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen possibly abused her authority when she rescinded these documents in February, as she discontinued the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Venezuelans on a broader scale.
The Supreme Court lifted an earlier order issued by Chen on May 19, which had impeded the administration from ending the deportation protection provided to Venezuelans under the TPS program. However, the high court made it clear that it was not barring any Venezuelan from contesting the decision to cancell the documents issued under that program, which permitted them to work and reside in the United States.
The documents were issued after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the final days of President Joe Biden's term, extended the TPS program for Venezuelans by an additional 18 months, until October 2026. Nielsen attempted to reverse this extension.
TPS is accessible to individuals whose native country has suffered an environmental disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary event.
Attorneys for several Venezuelans and the National TPS Alliance appealed to Chen to acknowledge the validity of those documents, arguing that without them, thousands of immigrants could lose their jobs or face deportation.
Aligning with them, Chen asserted that nothing in the statute authorizing the TPS program authorizes Nielsen to invalidate the documents. Notably, the administration estimated that only around 5,000 of the 350,000 Venezuelans possessed these documents.
Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Javier López de Lerida.
Relevance of Enrichment Data:While Judge Chen's ruling did not explicitly state that the Trump administration overstepped its authority solely in invalidating work permits, his critique primarily focused on the process and justification behind the termination of TPS overall. The effect of his ruling included challenging the administration's power to revoke TPS and related work authorizations, but the specific focus was on the broader policy of terminating TPS status rather than solely on work permits.
- In the face of Judge Edward Chen's decision, the Trump administration's policy-and-legislation regarding the revocation of work permits and related legal status for thousands of Venezuelans is under scrutiny, as Judge Chen questioned the validity of their process and justification.
- The ruling by Judge Edward Chen, which halted the Trump administration from revoking work permits for about 5,000 Venezuelans, has sparked news reports, as it challenges the administration's power in policy-and-legislation, particularly in the context of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans.
