A federal judge in San Francisco has halted the Trump administration’s attempt to remove deportation protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled that the administration’s portrayal of these migrants as criminals is based on racial stereotypes.
The decision was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the National TPS Alliance, an organization advocating for immigrant rights. Judge Chen paused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelans, which was set to expire on April 7.
TPS is a program that allows individuals from countries experiencing natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other crises to stay in the U.S. legally. In 2021, the Biden administration granted TPS to Venezuelans due to high crime rates and political instability under President Nicolas Maduro.
About 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. have TPS, with Monday’s ruling protecting around 348,000 from deportation. The Trump administration’s move to end TPS is part of a broader effort to tighten immigration policies.
Judge Chen noted that Venezuela remains a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country due to risks of wrongful detention and poor health infrastructure. He criticized public statements by Noem and Trump that implied Venezuelan TPS holders were criminals, calling these generalizations “baseless” and “racist.”
Venezuelan TPS holders are more likely to have bachelor’s degrees than U.S. citizens and are less likely to commit crimes than the general U.S. population, according to Chen.
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