Topline
A panel of three federal judges blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status for 600,000 Venezuelans on Friday, upholding a lower court ruling that maintained the legal protections while the case plays out in court.
Key Facts
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in an opinion that the plaintiffs, the National Temporary Protected Status Alliance, would likely succeed in arguing the Department of Homeland Security could not remove a protected status extension because it violates a congressional statute.
The panel’s decision postpones the date when protections were supposed to end, as directed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Noem directed the end of protections for 350,000 Venezuelans in April, and another 250,000 on Sept. 10, though the Associated Press noted it was unclear what effect Friday’s ruling would have on the impacted migrants.
A spokesperson for DHS told Reuters the ruling "delays justice and undermines the integrity of our immigration system."
Forbes has reached out to DHS for comment.
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Key Background
Noem revoked deportation protections for the Venezuelans in January, reversing an extension granted by the Biden administration. The protections were based on U.S. evaluations of conditions in Venezuela, which has undergone an economic and refugee crisis in recent years. Noem determined the country no longer met the conditions for temporary protected status.
Further Reading
Supreme Court Lets Trump Administration End Protections For Venezuelan Immigrants—At Least For Now (Forbes)