Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Intervention to End Deportation Protections for Venezuelans
The Trump administration has filed an emergency application with the US Supreme Court, seeking to end deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the United States. This move comes after a federal judge ruled that the Homeland Security Secretary lacked authority to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.
According to court documents, the Justice Department filed an emergency application on Friday, asking the justices to lift a federal judge's ruling that Kristi Noem, the former Governor of South Dakota, had no authority to end the TPS program. This is the second time the Trump administration has sought Supreme Court intervention on this issue.
The TPS program was established by President Joe Biden in 2021, granting deportation protections to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who fled their homeland due to economic and humanitarian crises. The program allows eligible individuals to remain in the US without fear of deportation for a specified period.
However, according to the Trump administration, national interest concerns justify ending the TPS program. "The Biden administration's decision to grant TPS to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans was an abuse of executive power," said a Justice Department spokesperson. "We believe that the Supreme Court should intervene and overturn this ruling."
But immigration advocates disagree with the Trump administration's stance. "This move is a clear attempt to undermine the rights of Venezuelan nationals living in the US," said Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center. "These individuals have been granted temporary protection for their safety and well-being, and it would be unjust to take that away from them."
The case has significant implications for the lives and livelihoods of Venezuelan nationals living in the US. According to estimates, there are over 300,000 Venezuelans who rely on TPS to remain in the country.
The Supreme Court is expected to review the Justice Department's application in the coming weeks. If granted, the court's decision would likely have far-reaching consequences for thousands of individuals affected by the ruling.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Biden administration said that they are "confident" that the lower court's ruling will be upheld and that TPS protections for Venezuelans will remain in place.
The fate of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals living in the US hangs in the balance as the Supreme Court weighs in on this contentious issue.
This story was compiled from reports by The Guardian and The Guardian.
