Judge Rules Trump Management Unlawfully Stripped TPS from Over a Million Venezuelans and Haitians – National TPS Alliance
A recent court ruling has found the Trump Administration acted illegally in terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than one million Venezuelans and Haitians. The decision offers immediate relief to those who faced potential deportation under the challenged policy.
The ruling stems from a case brought by the national TPS Alliance (NTPSA), which is also currently litigating NTPSA II v. Noem, challenging the termination of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. Francis, a Honduran TPS holder and member of the NTPSA, celebrated the decision, stating, “Today we are all Venezuelans and Haitians. We are proud to celebrate this victory, because this is our fight. Our struggle continues and we will not stop until we have our permanent residency.”
Legal advocates condemned the previous administration’s actions. Jessica Bansal, TPS counsel with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, asserted, “Since taking office, the Trump Administration has been systematically de-documenting lawful immigrants, spreading fear and chaos… Today’s decision affirms that-as to the more than one million Venezuelans and Haitians protected by the Temporary Protected Status program-the Administration’s actions are not only wrong, thay are illegal.”
Emi MacLean, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, highlighted the harm already inflicted. “Today,the trial court recognized what has been clear from day one-the Trump administration acted illegally in stripping hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans and Haitians of humanitarian protected status,” she said. “In recent months, people have suffered unspeakable harm-including deportation and family separation-due to the Supreme Court greenlighting Secretary noem’s discriminatory and harmful agenda. That must end now.”
Ahilan Arulanantham, Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law, expressed regret that the ruling came too late for some. “This ruling provides immediate relief to several hundred thousand Venezuelans who should not have been subjected to this lawless policy in the first place,” he stated. “Sadly,today’s ruling comes too late for many Venezuelans who were detained and deported…as the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect without giving any reasons. We are hopeful the rule of law will now prevail.”
Erik Crew, staff attorney with Haitian Bridge Alliance, emphasized the ongoing need for advocacy. “while harm already done cannot be undone, we hope today’s ruling can give some reprieve to over a million people whose lives have continued to be threatened by this extreme administration,” Crew said. He encouraged all eligible Venezuelan TPS holders to re-register.
The plaintiffs in the case were represented by the National Day laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the ACLU Foundations of Northern California and Southern California, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at UCLA School of Law, and the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA).
