San Francisco, September 6(HS):

A federal judge on Friday has declared unlawful the Trump administration’s abrupt effort to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians living and working legally in the United States. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s 69-page ruling sets aside the Department of Homeland Security’s revocation of TPS protections, citing that the action was unprecedented, arbitrary, and violated federal law.

Judge Chen emphasized that conditions in Venezuela and Haiti remain perilous, with the U.S. State Department advising against travel to these countries, making repatriation unsafe. The decision preserves the legal status of these migrants, safeguarding them from deportation and allowing continued work authorization pending appeal. The DHS criticized the ruling, calling TPS a politicized “de facto amnesty program” and pledged to pursue all legal options to enforce immigration policies.

The TPS program, established by Congress in 1990, temporarily shields nationals from countries undergoing war, natural disasters, or humanitarian crises, reflecting a long-standing bipartisan approach to immigration amidst turbulent global conditions. This ruling marks a significant judicial check against Trump-era immigration rollbacks and underscores ongoing legal and political battles surrounding migrant protections in the U.S. .

—————

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar