• A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians.
• The ruling preserves legal protections for approximately 1.1 million individuals.
• The judge criticized the actions of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem as arbitrary and unlawful.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen blocks the Trump administration's attempt to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 1 million migrants from Venezuela and Haiti. In his decision, Chen stated that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's actions were both unprecedented and in violation of the law, determining that around 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians will maintain their legal protections to live and work in the United States, according to CBS News and Los Angeles Times.

Judge Chen criticized the decision-making process of the DHS, indicating Noem exceeded her authority and acted in an arbitrary manner. He emphasized that revoking protections would forcibly return migrants to "conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries," as highlighted by both BBC and NPR.

This ruling comes as a significant legal victory for the National TPS Alliance and other advocacy groups who argue that the conditions in Venezuela and Haiti have not improved to a degree that would warrant the end of TPS. They assert that many individuals could face dire consequences if forced to return, especially given the ongoing instability and humanitarian crises in those countries, according to Newsweek and The Hill.

In his lengthy 69-page decision, Judge Chen remarked that Noem’s approach had been notably distinct from previous administrations, which historically consulted various agencies before making such determinations. He asserted that the method of revoking TPS represented a fundamentally flawed and politically motivated action by the Trump administration, as stated in multiple reports, including Los Angeles Times and CBS News.

The Department of Homeland Security plans to appeal the ruling, asserting that it was lawful and necessary for national security. A spokesperson for the agency remarked that the TPS program had faced misuse and called the judicial response an overreach, aligning with opinions expressed by government representatives, according to NPR and Newsweek.