US Judge halts move to end protections for Venezuelan, Haitian migrants

Judge Edward Chen’s ruling lets 600,000 Venezuelans keep legal status to stay and work in the US after their temporary protections expired or neared expiry.

A federal judge on Friday ruled against 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.

Venezuelan and Haitians migrants, who decided to return to return to South America after spending months in Mexico, following the new U.S. immigration policies under President Donald Trump, cross the border, in Paso Canoa, Costa Rica, (Reuters file)

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.

Chen said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s actions in terminating and vacating three extensions granted by the previous administration exceeded her statutory authority and were arbitrary and capricious.

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.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.