Appeals court rules Trump administration illegally ended protections for Venezuelans

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. The court found that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she terminated the legal protections that allowed Venezuelans to live and work in the United States. The ruling upheld a lower court decision against the administration. This represents another legal setback to the Trump administration's immigration agenda, though the Supreme Court had previously allowed the termination to take immediate effect in October 2025 while the case proceeded through the courts. The decision affects approximately 600,000 Venezuelan TPS recipients who had been living and working legally in the United States.

"The Secretary exceeded her authority when she terminated Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans" — From the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling finding that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem acted illegally in ending TPS protections