The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to proceed with the removal of protections for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants currently residing in the United States under the Temporary Protected Status program. This decision is temporary and will remain in effect pending an appeal of the case.
The court issued a brief, unsigned order without providing reasons, which is customary for emergency applications. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated her dissent, stating she would have denied the administration's request.
The ruling permits the Trump administration to potentially move forward with deportations while suggesting that some Venezuelans who had previously received legal status documentation could challenge their deportations in court.
In a related matter, the justices criticized the Trump administration for attempting to give only a day's notice to another group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas targeted for deportation under the Alien Enemies Act, a law from the 18th century. The administration has accused these migrants of being affiliated with the violent gang Tren de Aragua.
This ruling affects a larger group of Venezuelans living legally in the U.S. under a program established during the Biden administration. The Supreme Court has been inundated with applications related to President Trump’s executive orders, particularly those concerning immigration.
Ahilan Arulanantham, a lawyer for the immigrants challenging the administration, described the court's decision as “truly shocking,” emphasizing its unprecedented impact on noncitizens' immigration status in modern U.S. history.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, characterized the decision as beneficial for American citizens and community safety, asserting that the Trump administration is restoring integrity to the immigration system.
The case originated in February when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, prompting a lawsuit from affected individuals who claimed the decision violated administrative procedures and was racially motivated.
In March, Judge Edward M. Chen of the Federal District Court in San Francisco blocked the administration's efforts to revoke protections, stating that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their claims against the administration's actions.
Judge Chen noted that ending the protections would cause irreparable harm to hundreds of thousands of individuals and negatively impact the U.S. economy and public health.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had previously denied the administration's request to pause Judge Chen's ruling. The Temporary Protected Status program, established by Congress, allows migrants from countries facing disasters or conflicts to live and work legally in the U.S.
Trump's administration has sought to end these protections as part of a broader immigration policy aimed at deporting millions of immigrants. The administration's emergency application argued that the law governing the program prohibits judicial review of executive decisions regarding its designation or termination.
Judge Chen countered that the law did not prevent him from determining whether Secretary Noem had the authority to revoke the protections.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer criticized the scope of Judge Chen's ruling, claiming it overstepped judicial authority in matters of national interest. He urged the Supreme Court to act quickly, stating that prolonged litigation would hinder the administration's immigration policy enforcement.
Lawyers for the challengers contended that the law restricts early terminations of protections and that Noem's actions were unauthorized. They argued that allowing such actions would undermine judicial oversight of agency decisions.
The Supreme Court has received multiple emergency applications related to Trump's immigration policies, including requests to revoke deportation protections for migrants from several countries and to facilitate the return of individuals wrongfully deported.