SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal protections that have granted more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela the right to live and work in the United States. <\/p>\n
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco for the plaintiffs means 600,000 Venezuelans whose temporary protections expired in April or whose protections were about to expire Sept. 10 have status to stay and work in the United States. It also keeps protections for about 500,000 Haitians.<\/p>\n
Chen scolded Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for revoking protections for Venezuelans and Haitians that the judge said would send them \u201cback to conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Noem\u2019s actions were arbitrary and capricious, and she exceeded her authority in ending protections that were extended by the Biden administration.<\/p>\n
Presidential administrations have executed the law for 35 years based on the best available information and in consultation with other agencies, \u201ca process that involves careful study and analysis. Until now,\u201d Chen wrote.<\/p>\n
Plaintiffs and their attorneys welcomed the news Friday, although it\u2019s unclear if it would help people who have already been deported. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn recent months, people have suffered unspeakable harm \u2014 including deportation and family separation \u2014 due to the Supreme Court greenlighting Secretary Noem\u2019s discriminatory and harmful agenda,\u201d said Emi Maclean, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California. \u201cThat must end now.\u201d <\/p>\n
A DHS spokesperson said in an email that the program has been \u201cabused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program\u201d and that \u201cunelected activist judges\u201d cannot stop the American people\u2019s desire for a secure country. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile this order delays justice, Secretary Noem will use every legal option at the Department\u2019s disposal to end this chaos and prioritize the safety of Americans,\u201d the email read. <\/p>\n
The second Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on immigration has resulted in ramped-up arrests of people in the country illegally, but also an end to programs that offer legal yet temporary authorization to live and work in the U.S. if conditions in immigrants\u2019 homelands are deemed unsafe.<\/p>\n
According to court documents, the administration has terminated Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, and Humanitarian Parole designations for about 1.5 million people, prompting lawsuits across the country from immigrant advocates. <\/p>\n
Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people in the United States, if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions.<\/p>\n
Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger. The country is mired in a prolonged crisis brought on by years of hyperinflation, political corruption, economic mismanagement and an ineffectual government.<\/p>\n
Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of people, and left more than 1 million homeless. Haitians face widespread hunger and gang violence. <\/p>\n
Their designations were to expire in September but later extended until February, due to a separate court order out of New York. <\/p>\n
Noem said that conditions in both Haiti and Venezuela had improved and that it was not in the national interest to allow migrants from the countries to stay on for what is a temporary program. Attorneys for the government have said the secretary\u2019s clear and broad authority to make determinations related to the TPS program are not subject to judicial review. <\/p>\n
Designations are granted for terms of six, twelve or 18 months, and extensions can be granted so long as conditions remain dire. The status prevents holders from being deported and allows them to work.<\/p>\n
The secretary\u2019s action in revoking TPS was not only unprecedented in the manner and speed in which it was taken but also violated the law, Chen wrote. <\/p>\n
The case has had numerous legal twists, including an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. <\/p>\n
In March, Chen temporarily paused the administration\u2019s plans to<\/a> end TPS for people from Venezuela. An estimated 350,000 Venezuelans were set to lose protections the following month. <\/p>\n