US Supreme Court clears way for Trump administration to deport 350,000 Venezuelans

The US Supreme Court on Monday gave the green light to the Trump administration to remove legal protections from nearly 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants.These individuals were previously shielded from deportation under a programme called Temporary Protected Status (TPS), designed to help people from countries hit by war or disaster.The court’s unsigned order gave no explanation for the decision. It puts on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the government’s attempt to end TPS for Venezuelans.TPS ruling puts Venezuelans’ US stay in jeopardyTPS was first introduced in 1990 and offers eligible migrants the right to live and work in the US when their home countries are unsafe. Venezuelans were granted an 18-month extension of this status by the former US President Biden's administration, but in February, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked the extension.

That sparked a legal battle, with affected individuals accusing the administration of bias and of bypassing legal procedures.US District Judge Edward Chen said the government's move appeared “unauthorised by law, arbitrary and capricious, and motivated by unconstitutional animus.” He added that removing the protections would “inflict irreparable harm” on families, cost billions in economic output, and hurt public health and safety.

Chen’s ruling was later upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the Trump administration went to the Supreme Court with an emergency request to lift the freeze.Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the judge had overstepped his role and interfered with the executive branch's authority over immigration. “The district court entered nationwide relief supplanting Secretary Noem's assessment of the national interest—an area into which a district court is uniquely unqualified to intrude,” he wrote.Sauer insisted that immigration decisions made under TPS law are not open to judicial review and asked the court to act urgently. “This court’s immediate attention is especially warranted because protracted litigation will effectively preclude the president from enforcing a critical component of the administration’s immigration policy.”While the ruling gives the administration the green light to move ahead with potential deportations, the Supreme Court clarified that individual immigrants could still pursue legal challenges if they face the loss of work permits or removal.Opponents of the administration's decision argue that the law does not allow for early terminations of TPS extensions.The decision is the latest in a string of immigration-related emergency appeals by Trump’s team. The administration has also asked the court to end similar protections for migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua.If carried out, the court’s decision could lead to big changes in US immigration rules, putting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans at risk of being deported, even though many have lived and worked in the country for years.