On Sept. 5, 2025, a federal judge in San Francisco halted the Trump administration’s effort to terminate temporary legal protections that had allowed about 1.1 million Venezuelans and Haitians to live and work in the United States, preserving work authorization and shielding them from immediate deportation while lawsuits proceed.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. District Judge Edward Chen issued the order on Sept. 5, 2025, blocking the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and related humanitarian parole for people from Venezuela and Haiti.
- The decision preserves status for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans and about 500,000 Haitians who faced loss of work authorization or deportation.
- Judge Chen ruled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner and exceeded her authority in ending extensions set by the prior administration.
- The administration has ended TPS and parole designations for about 1.5 million people overall, prompting multiple lawsuits nationwide.
- The Supreme Court reversed an earlier temporary pause in May 2025; the government is expected to appeal Friday’s ruling.
- Plaintiffs say people already deported or detained continue to face harm; the new order may not reach those cases immediately.
Verified Facts
Judge Edward Chen of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco wrote that the Homeland Security secretary’s decision to revoke protections would send some people “back to conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries.” Chen found the agency’s actions arbitrary, capricious and beyond the secretary’s lawful authority.
The court’s order keeps in place protections for approximately 600,000 Venezuelans whose status either expired in April or was scheduled to end on Sept. 10, and about 500,000 Haitians. TPS and humanitarian parole provide temporary protection from deportation and the ability to obtain work authorization when return to the home country is unsafe because of disaster, instability or violence.
The legal fight has moved through several stages: Chen temporarily paused the administration’s plan in March 2025, the Supreme Court lifted that pause in May without explaining its decision, and a three-judge appeals panel ruled last week in favor of the plaintiffs, saying the administration lacked authority to cancel extensions granted earlier.
Court filings and declarations submitted by plaintiffs describe people who lost jobs, were detained at routine check-ins or deported after the Supreme Court’s May action. One declaration describes a restaurant hostess deported to Venezuela in July after an annual check-in; another recounts a FedEx worker detained at a required appointment and later sleeping on the floor of a detention facility out of fear.
Context & Impact
Temporary Protected Status has been used by administrations of both parties for decades to respond to wars, natural disasters and other crises that make safe return impossible. Designations are typically granted for set terms and can be extended while conditions remain unsafe.
The Trump administration’s broader immigration agenda has included heightened enforcement and the rollback of programs that provided temporary legal status to certain groups. The move to end TPS and parole for multiple nationalities has spurred a wave of litigation and prompted advocacy groups, employers and members of Congress to warn about economic and humanitarian consequences.
Potential impacts include:
- Loss of authorized workers in sectors that depend on TPS holders, such as food service and construction.
- Family separations and community disruption from detentions and deportations.
- Further legal uncertainty as the government signals it will appeal and as other courts weigh related challenges.
Official Statements
“The program has been abused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email, adding that the department will pursue all legal options to end what it described as chaos and to prioritize Americans’ safety.
Department of Homeland Security
“People have suffered unspeakable harm — including deportation and family separation — due to the Supreme Court greenlighting Secretary Noem’s discriminatory and harmful agenda. That must end now,” said Emi Maclean, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California.
ACLU Foundation of Northern California
Unconfirmed
- Whether the judge’s order will restore status or bring back people who have already been deported remains unclear; the order’s practical reach may be limited by timing and separate removal proceedings.
- The long-term outcome depends on appeals to higher courts and how quickly the government moves to challenge the decision.
Bottom Line
The San Francisco ruling temporarily preserves legal protections for about 1.1 million Venezuelans and Haitians and underscores the judiciary’s role in reviewing executive immigration decisions. The administration has signaled it will continue to challenge protections in court, leaving the fate of affected communities tied to an ongoing legal battle.