SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In what is seen as a major rebuke to the Trump administration’s immigration policy, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen issued a sweeping injunction this week blocking the federal government’s effort to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants living in the United States.
The ruling, which halts the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to end TPS protections for Venezuelans on April 7, ensures that TPS holders will retain their legal right to work and remain in the country while the case proceeds in federal court.
Judge Chen’s 78-page decision characterized the administration’s actions as both legally flawed and racially motivated, siding decisively with TPS holders and immigrant rights advocates.
“[T]he Secretary’s action threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States,” Chen wrote. “At the same time, the government has failed to identify any real countervailing harm in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries.”
The case—National TPS Alliance v. Noem—challenged the Trump administration’s abrupt reversal of TPS protections granted in early 2021. Plaintiffs argued that the termination was driven not by lawful policy considerations but by racial and xenophobic animus, a claim the court found likely to succeed.
Judge Chen pointed to the absence of evidence supporting the government’s claims that Venezuelan TPS holders posed a public safety threat.
“[T]he Secretary’s rationale is entirely lacking in evidentiary support,” he noted. “There is no evidence that Venezuelan TPS holders are members of the TdA gang, have connections to the gang, and/or commit crimes. Venezuelan TPS holders have lower rates of criminality than the general population. Generalization of criminality to the Venezuelan TPS population as a whole is baseless and smacks of racism predicated on generalized false stereotypes.”
Plaintiffs further alleged that both DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump had repeatedly employed racist tropes to justify anti-immigrant policies—including the decision to rescind TPS. The court’s ruling offers immediate relief to families like that of M.H., a Venezuelan mother and plaintiff in the case.
“My daughter and I rely on TPS to live here. Without TPS, I would risk being separated from my husband and young son, both of whom are U.S. citizens,” she said. “I am beyond elated to know that the judge has granted protection while we continue this fight to protect my family and hundreds of thousands of others.”
The decision was hailed by advocates as a landmark affirmation of constitutional protections for immigrant communities.
“In the face of adversity, we stand united,” said José Palma, coordinator of the National TPS Alliance. “Today’s victory is not just a legal win, but a testament to the strength of the TPS community and all who fight alongside us. Together, we will ensure that the voices of those who seek safety and opportunity are heard, and that no one is unjustly torn from their families.”
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs—including the ACLU Foundations of Northern and Southern California, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at UCLA School of Law, and the Haitian Bridge Alliance—praised the court for upholding the constitutional limits on executive authority.
“We are pleased that the court has taken this important step to protect Venezuelan TPS holders pending a final decision,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, faculty co-director at UCLA’s CILP. “The court’s decision provides a crucial protection against mass deportations for a population that this administration has singled out for extreme vilification.”
Jessica Bansal, an attorney with NDLON, added, “Venezuelan TPS holders, like all TPS holders, are living and working lawfully in this country pursuant to a humanitarian program created by Congress 30 years ago. Today’s decision to pause the Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to strip them of protection provides them and their families with much-needed relief.”
Emi MacLean, with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, emphasized the ruling’s broader implications. “Judge Chen’s decision today recognizes the critical role of TPS, protecting people who cannot safely return to their home countries. This humanitarian protection cannot be stripped away from hundreds of thousands of people for illegitimate pretextual reasons.”
Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program created in 1990 that allows migrants from countries facing war, natural disaster, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the U.S. until it is deemed safe to return.
Under the Biden administration, Venezuelans were granted TPS based on the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis. But the Trump administration sought to reverse that protection as part of a broader crackdown on humanitarian immigration, arguing without evidence that Venezuelan TPS holders posed a public safety risk. Monday’s court decision marks the first time a federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction against the revocation of TPS for Venezuelans.
Legal experts say the ruling could have ripple effects for other immigrant communities, especially those from Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, and other nations whose TPS status has been threatened under similar circumstances.
“This is a win for Venezuelan TPS holders, for Haitian TPS holders, and for all people who want to be able to rely on the promises the U.S. makes,” said Erik Crew of the Haitian Bridge Alliance. “This is a win for the rule of law.”
These political swings left and right are jarring and are going to rip the country apart. I don’t think anyone should be deported once here unless they are convicted of criminal activity. I am much more OK with Trump saying “no more” and halting such programs bringing more in, but deporting 350k people already here (and more) who are not committing serious criminal acts is insane. Even if it were a goal — one I don’t agree with — since he said the main purpose was to deport criminals, why spend an ounce of energy on deporting anyone else until all serious criminals are deported first. He’s shooting himself in the foot politically with this insane lack of sense.