Judge prevents Trump from invalidating legal documents from 5,000 Venezuelans

But the Superior Court specifically stated that it was not preventing any Venezuelan from still contesting Noem’s decision from invalidating the documents that were issued according to this program that allowed them to work and live in the US.

These documents were issued after the US internal security department, in the last days of the term of Democratic President Joe Biden, extended the TPS program for Venezuelans for 18 months until October 2026, an action that then tried to reverse.

TPS is available to people whose country of origin has undergone a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event.

The lawyers of several Venezuelans and the National TPS Allows defense group asked Chen to recognize the continuous validity of these documents, saying that without them thousands of migrants could lose their jobs or be deported.

Chen, in supporting them, said that nothing in the statute that authorized the temporary protection status program allowed them to invalidate the documents. Chen, appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, noted that the government estimated that only about 5,000 of the 350,000 Venezuelans had such documents.

“This smaller number is contrary to any claim that the continuous presence of these TPS holders who received TPs -related documents by the secretary would be a burden on national or local economies or a threat to national security,” Chen wrote.