Federal judge blocks Trump admin from ending TPS for 1.1 million Venezuelans, Haitians

A federal judge ruled to block the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than one million Venezuelan and Haitian nationals who are in the country on Friday.

According to the Associated Press, TPS protections apply to about 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians. The ruling came from Judge Edward Chen of the Northern District of California, who said that ending the program was “unprecedented” and that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s actions violated the law.

"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.

TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians was granted under the Biden administration, which cited ongoing crises making return unsafe. The program allows nationals from countries in conflict, or facing public health or humanitarian disasters, to remain in the US temporarily.

"For decades, the TPS program has been abused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program. Its use has been all the more dangerous, given the millions of unvetted illegal aliens the Biden Administration let into this country," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News.

"While this order delays justice, [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem will use every legal option at the Department’s disposal to end this chaos and prioritize the safety of Americans," the statement added. "Under God, the people rule. Unelected activist judges cannot stop the will of the American people for a safe and secure homeland."

In July, DHS officials argued that conditions in Haiti had improved enough to justify ending these protections.

“We encourage these individuals to take advantage of the Department’s resources in returning to Haiti, which can be arranged through the CBP Home app,” DHS said at the time. “Haitian nationals may pursue lawful status through other immigration benefit requests, if eligible."