U.S. News
Supreme Court Backs Trump Admin’s Move to End Protections for 350,000 Venezuelans
By Jake Beardslee · May 20, 2025
Supreme Court Backs Noem’s Move to End Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with the Trump administration in allowing it to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants—at least for now—while litigation continues in lower courts. The ruling lifts a prior injunction that had blocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s move to revoke protections for Venezuelans living in the U.S. Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Justice Jackson Dissents in Emergency Relief Decision
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, saying she would have denied the administration's request for emergency relief. Fred Schilling and Jasmin Flores, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States / Wikimedia
TPS Initially Granted Over Venezuela’s Dangerous Conditions
The TPS designation, originally granted by the Biden administration and extended in October 2023 by then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, cited “extraordinary and temporary” conditions in Venezuela. The designation allowed recipients to obtain work permits and shielded them from deportation. DHSgov / Wikimedia
Trump Admin Revokes TPS Extension; Judge Cites Potential Bias
After Donald Trump assumed office for a second term, Noem revoked the 2023 extension, stating it was “contrary to the national interest.” The change was scheduled to take effect on April 7. However, a federal judge in California blocked the termination in March, ruling that Noem’s decision appeared “predicated on negative stereotypes” and may have been rooted in unconstitutional bias. Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
Over 600,000 Covered by TPS, But 2023 Designation Under Fire
The Biden-era TPS program covers approximately 600,000 Venezuelans under two designations. Only the most recent designation—affecting around 350,000—is currently under challenge. The White House / Wikimedia
Solicitor General Argues TPS Conflicts With National Interest
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in the Supreme Court appeal that allowing the lower court’s injunction to stand forced the administration to maintain a policy it had deemed harmful. “So long as the order is in effect,” Sauer wrote, “the secretary must permit hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals to remain in the country, notwithstanding her reasoned determination that doing so is ‘contrary to the national interest.’” United States Department of Justice / Wikimedia
McLaughlin Praises Ruling
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, praised the high court’s decision as a “win for the American people and the safety of our communities.” @TriciaOhio / X
Advocates Warn of Harm if Migrants Lose Legal Status
Opponents of the move, including TPS beneficiaries and the National TPS Alliance, argue that revoking protections would cause immediate and severe harm. Their legal team told the Court that stripping legal status would force Venezuelans to return to a country “the State Department still deems too dangerous even to visit.” Altamart / Pexels
Critics Say Noem Exceeded Authority in TPS Rollback
They further claimed that Noem’s action overstepped legal bounds, asserting that the TPS statute does not authorize the secretary to rescind an existing extension. According to court filings, Noem’s reversals for Venezuela and Haiti mark the first such terminations in the history of the statute. Jack Gruber-USA TODAY