The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a short yet significant order on May 19, 2025, granting an emergency appeal from the Donald Trump administration to allow the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 300,000 + Venezuelan nationals living in the U.S. under prior designations. The program, expanded under the Joe Biden administration, had protected Venezuelans from deportation, allowed them to work, and offered temporary relief due to the crisis in their home country.

The Trump administration’s argument, advanced by D. John Sauer (U.S. Solicitor General), emphasised that TPS designations are “discretionary, sensitive, and foreign-policy-laden judgments” which rest primarily with the Executive Branch — hence judicial review should be limited. The DHS under Kristi Noem sought to end the Venezuelan TPS designation (2023 track) as “contrary to the national interest”, reversing earlier extensions made under Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

A lower court, in particular Edward Chen of the Northern District of California, had blocked the termination in March 2025, finding serious concerns of racial animus in the decision-making and reasoning by DHS. The Supreme Court’s stay of that injunction allowed the termination process to proceed while litigation continues in the lower courts — meaning the protection isn’t necessarily permanently revoked yet, but the path toward revocation is open.

In short, the decision marks a major shift in U.S. immigration policy: a move away from the humanitarian-relief orientation of TPS toward tighter executive control of immigration-related discretion. Advocates warn of serious consequences for families, legal jobs, and communities, while the administration argues it restores “integrity” to the immigration system.