A group of Venezuelans in California, along with immigrant advocacy organizations CASA and Make the Road New York, have filed two separate lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans residing in the U.S.
The lawsuits, filed in federal court, argue that ending TPS, which protects hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from deportation, is unconstitutional and racially discriminatory. TPS was granted to Venezuelans due to the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, but the Trump administration moved to rescind it, affecting approximately 600,000 individuals.
CASA member and single mother E.B. expressed that the decision jeopardizes not just her, but her family’s safety and well-being, calling on the courts to intervene before the situation escalates.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has yet to comment on the lawsuits.
In the months before leaving office, President Biden extended TPS for Venezuelans until 2026. However, Trump’s decision would end TPS for those who became eligible in 2023 by April and for those eligible in 2021 by September.
TPS is granted to individuals from countries experiencing extreme hardship, but it does not offer a path to citizenship.
Harold Solis, co-legal director of Make the Road New York, emphasized that the decision to end TPS for Venezuelans is racially motivated, citing numerous inflammatory statements made by Trump’s administration. He warned that this case extends beyond Venezuelans, reflecting broader threats to immigrant rights.
A similar federal lawsuit was filed in San Francisco by seven Venezuelans and the National TPS Alliance, with both cases arguing that the administration’s actions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth Amendment, pointing to discriminatory remarks from Trump officials.
Read more:
