US judge stops Trump administration from cancelling legal documents of 5,000 Venezuelans
A US federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from cancelling work permits and other legal documents held by about 5,000 Venezuelans living in the country under temporary protection.
In a ruling on Friday night, US District Judge Edward Chen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem likely acted beyond her powers when she decided in February to cancel documents that allowed these individuals to work and live legally in the United States.
The decision comes after the US Supreme Court on May 19 allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans more broadly. TPS is granted to people from countries facing war, natural disasters, or other crises.
But the court had also said its decision did not prevent affected individuals from challenging the cancellation of specific documents issued under the TPS programme. These documents had been granted during the final days of former President Joe Biden's term, when the Department of Homeland Security extended TPS for Venezuelans by 18 months, to October 2026. Secretary Noem later reversed that extension.
Lawyers for several Venezuelans and the National TPS Alliance argued that without valid documents, many people could lose their jobs or face deportation. They asked the judge to confirm that the documents remained valid.
'There is nothing in the law that gives the Secretary the power to cancel those documents,' Judge Chen wrote in his ruling, according to Reuters.
He also pointed out that only around 5,000 Venezuelans hold the specific documents in question. 'This smaller number cuts against any contention that the continued presence of these TPS holders… would be a toll on the national or local economies or a threat to national security,' he said.
The Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the ruling.
The judge's decision came just hours after the US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end a separate immigration programme that had granted temporary entry, or 'parole,' to more than 500,000 people from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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