A Barack Obama-appointed activist federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to deport over 350,000 migrants from Venezuela.
U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued a temporary injunction against the Trump administration.
The move blocks the Trump administration from ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.
The TPS status was granted under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
BREAKING: Obama appointee Federal Judge Edward Chen just blocked Trump’s administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Venezuelans.
Why are these rogue activists posing as judges allowed to constantly impede Trump?
This must be STOPPED! pic.twitter.com/zIHJqGhRTO
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 31, 2025
This ruling comes just one week before these protections were scheduled to expire on April 7.
Judge Chen’s decision effectively halts the termination of TPS for Venezuelans.
It allows the foreign nationals to maintain their legal status and work permits in the U.S., at least for the time being.
In his ruling, Chen expressed concerns about the broad implications of terminating TPS.
He stated that such a move could severely disrupt the lives of Venezuelan beneficiaries and claimed it would harm the U.S. economy.
“The Court finds that the Secretary’s action threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States,” Chen wrote in his opinion.
BREAKING: Federal judge Edward Chen in San Francisco has blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for 350,000 Venezuelans in the US, for now. Their work permits & protection from removal was set to be terminated next week.
Judge Chen writes:…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 31, 2025
Chen also criticized the government’s failure to present any significant countervailing harm from continuing the TPS protections for Venezuelans.
He argued that the Trump administration’s actions were likely unauthorized by law and based on “arbitrary and capricious” reasoning, possibly motivated by unconstitutional animus.
Due to these concerns, the judge granted the plaintiffs’ request to postpone the termination of TPS while the legal case is further litigated.
As a result of the injunction, the 350,000 Venezuelans who were set to lose their work permits and protection from deportation next week can continue to live and work in the U.S. while the case moves through the courts.
The battle over TPS for Venezuelans began earlier this year when the Trump administration announced plans to end the program.
The Trump admin cites national security concerns and argues that Venezuela’s improving conditions, such as lower crime rates and better healthcare, made it safe for recipients to return.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who defended the decision, also argued that TPS had exacerbated the U.S. border crisis.
Noem argues that TPS allowed individuals associated with violent criminal gangs, like the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua, to remain in the country.
“The termination was part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration,” Noem said in February.
“TPS had become a tool for facilitating illegal immigration, and the conditions in Venezuela no longer warranted the continuation of the program.”
However, in response to the administration’s move, Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 17 other state attorneys general, filed a legal challenge in early March.
My office and a group of AGs are challenging Trump’s unlawful early termination of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans.
The TPS program offers safety and stability for families at risk.
This attempt to end the program for Venezuelans is dangerous, and it must be stopped.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) March 7, 2025
The group argued that ending TPS for Venezuelans would lead to severe consequences, including the loss of legal work status and exposure to deportation.
The coalition submitted an amicus brief in federal court, asserting that over 600,000 Venezuelans hold TPS in the U.S.
They claim that terminating the protections would cause irreparable harm to these individuals and their families.
James and the other state attorneys general have criticized the Trump administration’s actions, claiming that the termination of TPS was unlawful and would disproportionately impact Venezuelans who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years.
“This attempt to end the program for Venezuelans is dangerous, and it must be stopped,” James said in a statement.
READ MORE – Republicans Back Plans to Block Anti-Trump Judges Issuing Nationwide Court Injunctions
