Judge delays TPS termination for some
Washington — A federal judge in California ruled Friday that the Trump administration's attempt to end the Temporary Protected Status program for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan and Haitian migrants was unlawful.
The move by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen effectively sets aside the administration's attempt to end temporary legal protections and work permits for certain people from Venezuela and Haiti — unless his ruling is overturned on appeal. Chen ruled in favor of the National TPS Alliance, an organization that represents TPS holders across the country, and a group of Venezuelan migrants who received protections under the program.
"This case arose from action taken post haste by the current DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem, to revoke the legal status of Venezuelan and Haitian TPS holders, sending them back to conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries," Chen wrote in a 69-page decision. "The Secretary's action in revoking TPS was not only unprecedented in the manner and speed in which it was taken but also violates the law."
In May, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end the TPS program for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, freezing an earlier ruling by Chen.
Chen said that decision concerned only preliminary relief he ordered that postponed the Department of Homeland Security's actions. The high court's order, he said, did not bar him from adjudicating the case on the merits or issuing relief under the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law that governs the agency rulemaking process.
This is a developing story and will be updated
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
