The Supreme Court of the United States has granted a significant legal win to the administration of Donald Trump by allowing it to proceed with ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals—a humanitarian immigration program that had shielded them from deportation and permitted work authorization in the United States. In a key order issued in October 2025, the Court lifted a lower court injunction that had blocked the administration’s move, clearing the way for the termination of TPS protections for roughly 350,000 Venezuelans currently living in the U.S. while litigation continues.
TPS is a program created by Congress for individuals from countries affected by armed conflict, disaster, or other extraordinary conditions, giving beneficiaries temporary legal status, employment authorization, and protection from removal. The designation for Venezuelans had been extended under the previous administration but was rescinded earlier in 2025 by the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem, who argued that conditions in Venezuela no longer met the statutory criteria for the designation.
The Supreme Court’s action did not involve a full decision on the merits of the underlying dispute. Instead, it halted a district court’s judgment that had temporarily preserved TPS protections, enabling the Trump administration to move forward with ending those protections while the case is still litigated in lower courts. This means many Venezuelan TPS holders are now at risk of losing their legal status and potentially facing removal unless other legal defenses or protections apply.
The ruling has drawn strong reactions from civil rights advocates and immigrant communities, who argue that terminating TPS undermines due process and exposes individuals and families to dangerous conditions in their home country. Supporters of the decision maintain it reinforces executive authority over immigration policy and aligns TPS program application with statutory standards. Legal challenges remain ongoing in the federal appeals process, leaving the future of TPS protections and the affected migrants’ status subject to further judicial review.