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The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that President Donald Trump can end amnesty for over 300,00 Venezuelan migrants.
The 8-1 ruling followed an emergency application filed by the Trump administration following an order against the effort by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen.
“The application for stay presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is granted,” the brief order said. “The March 31, 2025 order entered by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, case No. 3:25-cv-1766, is stayed pending the disposition of the appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari, if such a writ is timely sought.”
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed by former President Joe Biden, was the lone justice to oppose the ruling.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) had been granted to Venezuelans fleeing political and economic turmoil under President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S. The Biden administration had extended these protections through October 2026.
In February 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to terminate the TPS designation, citing improved conditions in Venezuela and security concerns related to Venezuelan gangs.
The Supreme Court’s decision allows the Trump administration to end TPS for Venezuelans while legal challenges continue in lower courts. The revocation of TPS for Venezuelans is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tighten immigration policies, with similar actions being considered for other nationalities currently under TPS protections.
The move is also part of growing moves by the Trump administration against the radical regime in Venezuela. In March, the president announced a 25 percent tariff on countries that import oil and gas from the South American nation.
“President Donald J. Trump announced today that the United States of America will be putting what is known as a Secondary Tariff on the Country of Venezuela, for numerous reasons, including the fact that Venezuela has purposefully and deceitfully sent to the United States, undercover, tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals, many of whom are murderers and people of a very violent nature. Among the gangs they sent to the United States, is Tren de Aragua, which has been given the designation of ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization,’” he wrote in a post to Truth Social at the time.
