Politics

Supreme Court’s Latest Ruling: How Trump’s Administration Can End Protections for Venezuelan Migrants

Trump administration can end deportation protections for 300,000 Venezuelans; court sides with it.

byEditorial Staff

October 3, 2025, 11:20 PM

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Executive Summary

The Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 300,000 Venezuelan migrants.

This decision makes the affected migrants more susceptible to deportation and marks another victory for the Trump administration’s goal to accelerate the removal of non-citizens.

The ruling was issued in a brief order, with the court’s three liberal justices dissenting, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized the decision as “yet another grave misuse of its emergency docket.”

The Story So Far

The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants aligns with President Trump’s broader objective to accelerate the removal of non-citizens from the U.S. This action targets a program established by Congress to protect migrants from countries facing severe instability, which the Biden administration had previously granted and expanded for Venezuelans due to their country’s “economic and political upheaval and danger,” leading to ongoing legal challenges from migrant advocates who argue administrative violations and bias.

Why This Matters

The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump administration to terminate temporary deportation protections for approximately 300,000 Venezuelan migrants immediately leaves these individuals vulnerable to deportation, fulfilling a key objective of the administration to accelerate the removal of non-citizens. This ruling reinforces the administration’s ability to curtail humanitarian relief programs and signals a potential precedent for future challenges to similar protections, highlighting the ongoing legal and policy debates surrounding immigration enforcement.

Who Thinks What?

The Trump administration’s objective is to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants to accelerate the removal of non-citizens from the United States, a goal supported by the Supreme Court’s majority decision.

Dissenting Supreme Court justices, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, viewed the decision as “yet another grave misuse of its emergency docket,” accusing the court of enabling the administration to “disrupt as many lives as possible, as quickly as possible.”

Migrant advocates and challengers argued that the administration’s move to end TPS violated the Administrative Procedure Act and was motivated by racial and political bias.

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted President Donald Trump’s administration to terminate temporary deportation protections for approximately 300,000 Venezuelan migrants, marking the second time the high court has allowed such a move. This decision grants the administration another victory in its objective to accelerate the removal of non-citizens from the United States, leaving those affected more susceptible to deportation.

Court’s Decision and Dissent

The ruling came in a brief order, with the court’s three liberal justices dissenting from the majority. The Trump administration had petitioned the justices earlier this month to allow it to retract the humanitarian relief, known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which had been extended to Venezuelans residing in the U.S.

This latest development follows a similar outcome in May, when the Supreme Court first sided with the administration on the issue. After that initial decision, a district court in California issued a more permanent ruling against the Trump administration, prompting a renewed emergency appeal that ultimately returned to the Supreme Court. The court noted in its order that “The same result that we reached in May is appropriate here,” despite changes in the case’s procedural posture.

Administrative Policy and Legal Challenges

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had initially moved to end TPS for Venezuelan migrants earlier this year, a decision challenged by migrant advocates. The challengers argued that Noem’s abrupt reversal violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines specific procedures for federal agencies implementing policy changes, and was motivated by racial and political bias.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson penned a dissenting opinion, criticizing the court’s handling of the case. She viewed the decision as “yet another grave misuse of its emergency docket,” accusing the court of enabling the administration to “disrupt as many lives as possible, as quickly as possible.”

Background on Venezuelan TPS

The Biden administration initially granted TPS for Venezuelans in March 2021, citing the escalating instability within the country. The protections were expanded in 2023, and two weeks before President Trump assumed office, the Biden administration renewed these protections for an additional 18 months.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, an appointee of President Barack Obama, had previously described Venezuela as “a country so rife with economic and political upheaval and danger that the State Department” has warned against travel due to high risks of detention, terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest. The TPS program, established by Congress in 1990, allows the federal government to offer temporary protection to migrants from countries facing natural disasters, wars, or other dangerous conditions.

Impact of the Ruling

The Supreme Court’s latest ruling reinforces the Trump administration’s ability to curtail humanitarian protections for a significant population of Venezuelan migrants, underscoring ongoing legal and policy debates surrounding immigration enforcement and temporary relief programs.