Friday, May 2, 2025 — WafricNews

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a block on its effort to revoke deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals living in the United States under humanitarian grounds.

In an emergency appeal filed Thursday, administration lawyers argued that a federal court’s decision to halt the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans “undermines executive authority” and disrupts the government's ability to act quickly in shaping immigration policy.

At the center of the legal fight is a move by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who earlier this year announced an end to TPS for Venezuelans—a designation originally offered in response to political instability and economic collapse in the South American nation.

More than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants currently benefit from TPS, which shields them from deportation and allows legal work authorization.

A coalition of affected Venezuelans filed a lawsuit challenging Noem’s decision, arguing that the rollback violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires federal agencies to follow transparent and justified processes when implementing significant policy shifts. The plaintiffs also alleged that racial and political biases influenced the decision.

A California federal district court temporarily blocked the move in March, citing the need to fully review the case. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later refused the Trump administration’s request to override that ruling.

Now, the administration has taken the battle to the nation’s highest court.

In its filing, Trump’s legal team said the lower court’s intervention “indefinitely delays sensitive policy decisions” and intrudes on the president’s discretion over immigration—an area where Congress has historically allowed significant flexibility.

This marks the 11th emergency request the Trump administration has made to the Supreme Court during his second term, as his immigration and civil rights policies face intensifying scrutiny from lower courts.

Other major cases pending before the justices include efforts to reinstate a ban on transgender service members, challenge protections for independent agency officials, and expand the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport certain immigrant groups.

The outcome of the Venezuelan TPS case could have far-reaching consequences—not only for those facing potential deportation, but also for the balance of power between courts, Congress, and the presidency on immigration matters.



By WafricNews Desk.