Judge blocks Trump administration from revoking protected status for thousands of Venezuelans

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from revoking the temporary protected status of roughly 5,000 Venezuelans who are in the U.S.

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from revoking the temporary protected status of roughly 5,000 Venezuelans who are in the U.S., despite Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s February decision to terminate a Biden-era extension of the program.

U.S. District Judge Edward E. Chen in San Francisco ruled Friday that thousands of Venezuelans who received paperwork extending their protected status during a brief period earlier this year could keep it. That period began when then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas extended protected status for Venezuelans in January and ended when Noem terminated it in February.

Chen wrote that if their paperwork has their protected status ending in October 2026, those Venezuelans should not be eligible for deportation while the case is ongoing.

The National TPS Alliance and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Friday’s order.

It’s the latest decision in a legal saga that could affect around 350,000 Venezuelans who in 2023 were granted the right to temporarily live and work in the U.S.