Live updates: What to know about Supreme Court ruling to end TPS for Venezuelans
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said the Trump administration can roll back the temporary protected status of thousands of Venezuelans who live and work in South Florida and other parts of the country.
The ruling gives the Trump administration the green light to end an extension the Biden administration granted for a group of Venezuelans whose TPS status, which gave them deportation protections, was set to expire.
TPS is a federal program that gives temporary deportation protections and work permits to people in the United States from countries in turmoil. The Biden administration first designated Venezuela for TPS in March 2021, a decision that was widely celebrated in South Florida, home to many who fled Nicolás Maduro regime.
Here are live updates on what’s happening in South Florida:
Venezuelans left in limbo after Supreme Court TPS ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court’s stunning and unprecedented move has sparked nationwide fear, confusion and outrage, placing as many as 350,000 legal residents at immediate risk of losing their legal status and work authorization.
The order overturned a California federal court’s injunction that had blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS for Venezuelans. Now, those protections are effectively gone, even as no official timeline or guidance has been provided, leaving TPS holders, their families and employers in legal limbo.
— Verónica Egui Brito
What the Miami-Dade mayor says about TPS ruling
“Miami-Dade is proud to be home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S. I’m heartbroken for these families who followed the legal process and now face deportation to a brutal dictatorship.” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levina Cava said on X. “We continue to stand with those seeking protection from oppression and persecution.
What countries have TPS?
The map below highlights countries, shaded in blue, whose nationals are currently designated for temporary protected status, or TPS, by the United States. TPS is expected to end for several countries by the end of 2025. Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website for the most up-to-date TPS info on extensions, termination dates and eligibility requirements.
— Michelle Marchante
Haitians, Nicaraguans worry about impact of Venezuelan TPS ruling
The Supreme Court’s decision to let the Trump administration terminate TPS protections for thousands of Venezuelans has lawyers and advocates worried about the decision’s potential effect for Haitians, Nicaraguans and others in the United States who have Temporary Protected Status.
“It is very concerning and may indirectly affect the TPS protections for Haitians and other TPS holders, who are currently challenging what we still see as very clearly illegal, not to mention, immoral and unjust actions,” Emi MacLean, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said Monday during a press call with the National TPS Alliance and other groups.
— Jacqueline Charles and Sonia Osorio
‘More than a blow to Venezuelans,’ editorial board says
The Miami Herald editorial board describes Monday’s Supreme Court’s decision as “a blow for TPS holders and South Florida given the large number of Venezuelans who live here.”
“The sheer number of people who may be forced to leave the country amounts to an anti-Miami story,” reads the editorial board’s opinion piece.
— Miami Herald Editorial Board
TPS court battle will continue, advocate says
The fight to keep TPS for Venezuelans will continue in court, Adelys Ferro, co-founder and executive director of Venezuelan American Caucus, said in an Instagram video.
“It’s an extremely difficult day because of the Supreme Court’s decision ... but within the bad possibilities, this is one of the least bad,” Ferro said in Spanish.
A federal judge in California in March blocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s termination of TPS for thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S. while a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to roll back TPS protections made its way through the courts.
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted the California judge’s order, saying it’s up to the Department of Homeland Security to decide whether to end TPS protections or not while the legal battle continues. It does not stop the lawsuit from continuing. The ruling impacts Venezuelans who got TPS in 2023, when the program was extended, according to Ferro. Venezuelans who got the protected status in 2021 are expected to lose it later this year when the current program expires, according to NPR.
“We will keep fighting,” Ferro said.
— Michelle Marchante
TPS ends for Venezuelans: What it means
Revoking TPS will affect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have built their lives in the U.S. Many have families, businesses and homes in the country. Without legal status, they could face deportation, leading to a serious humanitarian crisis, especially for those who have lived in the U.S. for many years.
When TPS ends, those with pending asylum applications can legally remain in the U.S. while awaiting a decision. Many Venezuelans have been waiting for years for their asylum cases to be resolved. For them, the end of TPS will have little immediate effect, as they can continue to stay legally while their applications are processed.
TPS provides work permits for its beneficiaries. Once TPS ends, these work permits become invalid, meaning those individuals lose their legal ability to work in the U.S. unless they obtain another form of legal status.
Read more answers to key questions, including what alternatives TPS beneficiaries have to stay in the U.S.
— Antonio Maria Delgado
Ending TPS could endanger thousands, experts say
Despite the Trump administration’s assertion that Venezuela is now safe for migrants to return, substantial evidence indicates that most holders of Temporary Protected Status would face dire consequences if repatriated. Many could be subject to incarceration, torture or even death at the hands of the same regime they once fled.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling Monday in favor of the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the TPS granted during the Biden era to approximately 350,000 Venezuelans, human rights organizations and political analysts are warning of the grave implications. The decision could lead to forced returns to one of the most repressive, economically devastated, and politically unstable nations in the Western Hemisphere.
“The situation has definitely not improved in Venezuela,” Juanita Goebertus, Americas Director at Human Rights Watch, told the Miami Herald. “On the contrary, following the July 28 elections, repression and political persecution have intensified. We currently have at least 890 political prisoners, including 72 foreigners, and at least 66 missing persons whose whereabouts remain unknown.”
— Antonio Maria Delgado
TPS can be revoked, Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration, which argued that it has sole authority over immigration disputes such as the Temporary Protected Status of Venezuelans living in the United States. The Supreme Court ruling is a major victory for the Trump administration.
In early May, the administration asked the high court to reverse a federal judge’s decision shielding the more than 300,000 Venezuelans with TPS while they sue the government over its plan to revoke their protected status and work permits.
The high-stakes appeal by the administration’s solicitor general carried serious consequences for one group of Venezuelans whose protected status was set to expire in April under an order by the Department of Homeland Security. The same immigration protections for another group are set to run out in September.
Before its term ended on Jan. 20, the Biden administration extended those two deadlines until October 2026, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked that policy, leading to a lawsuit filed by Venezuelan immigrant groups in San Francisco federal court challenging her decision.
— Jay Weaver
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 1:42 PM.
