Donald Trump’s latest immigration crackdown just hit a wall in San Francisco. A federal appeals court has ruled that his administration likely acted outside the law when it tried to strip temporary protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States.
The three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem overstepped when she abruptly canceled an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that had been granted under Joe Biden. That extension, meant to safeguard Venezuelans fleeing their country’s turmoil, was supposed to last until 2026.
The decision doesn’t immediately restore stability for the 600,000 people affected—because the Supreme Court had already paused an earlier ruling that favored the migrants. Still, the appellate court’s language was sharp, stressing that TPS was designed by Congress to be predictable, insulated from political mood swings, and a lifeline for communities caught between collapsing homelands and uncertain futures.
“Venezuelans were suddenly faced with the fear of prematurely losing their status within weeks or months,” Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw wrote for the panel. She warned that sudden reversals undermine the very purpose of the program.
Advocates hailed the ruling as a sign that the courts recognize the human cost of political maneuvering. “It tells us we’re on the right side of history,” said Jose Palma of the National TPS Alliance, one of the groups leading the challenge.
The Department of Homeland Security was quick to fire back, calling the ruling a delay of justice that weakens the immigration system. Another appeal is all but certain.
TPS was created to protect people from deportation when their countries are torn by disaster, war, or extraordinary crises. For Venezuelans, it has been a crucial shield as their nation grapples with economic collapse and repression. Whether that shield holds now depends on the long road of litigation—and ultimately, the Supreme Court’s final word.
