❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Venezuelan civic group and several migrants filed a lawsuit against federal immigration agencies, alleging the Trump administration unlawfully ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, Democracy Forward, three Venezuelan migrants, and federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed this week in Boston federal court.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This lawsuit is a desperate attempt to keep half a million poorly vetted illegal aliens in this country and undermine President Trump’s constitutional authority to enforce America’s immigration laws.” – DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
🎯IMPACT: The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s decision to revoke TPS for Venezuelans and could slow down or stop its efforts to deport illegal aliens from the South American country.
A group of illegal immigrants represented by a Venezuelan civic organization is suing the Trump administration, claiming the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unlawfully ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. The plaintiffs include the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, progressive group Democracy Forward, and three Venezuelan illegals.
The lawsuit, filed in Boston federal court, names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as defendants. The plaintiffs claim that the Trump administration, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, abruptly and unlawfully terminated TPS for Venezuelans, describing the move as a “sudden policy shift.”
According to Democracy Forward, an alleged April email from DHS to TPS illegal immigrants stated, “It is time for you to leave the United States.” The plaintiffs argue that TPS revocation requires case-by-case determinations and that the decision disrupts lives, occupations, and legal rights to remain in the U.S. They further claim the policy violates public trust and legal protections for those who complied with DHS requirements.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to the lawsuit, calling it “a desperate attempt to keep half a million poorly vetted illegal aliens in this country and undermine President Trump’s constitutional authority to enforce America’s immigration laws.” She also criticized the former Biden government for creating a “catch-and-release scheme.”
Illegal Immigrants fleeing Venezuela were granted special protection under TPS by President Joe Biden in 2021, with an extension in 2023 that allowed more migrants to qualify. However, after Trump took office, Noem revoked the 2023 extension, leading to legal challenges. While an injunction was issued by Barack Obama appointee Judge Edward Milton Chen in April, the Supreme Court later overruled it, allowing Noem’s policy to proceed.
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