US Supreme Court allows Trump administration to end protections for 600,000 Venezuelan immigrants

​​​​​​​By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for up to 600,000 Venezuelan immigrants, granting an emergency request that could lead to deportations, NBC News reported.

The latest emergency request followed a Sept. 5 ruling by US District Judge Edward Chen, who found that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failed to follow proper procedures in ending the protections.

It marked the second time the high court intervened in the case, having granted a similar request to the administration in May.

The Trump administration argued that Chen's ruling defied the Supreme Court’s earlier decision, but lower courts rejected that claim, pointing out that the high court did not explain its initial emergency order.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, saw its three liberal justices dissent, with Ketanji Brown Jackson noting in an opinion that the court has granted similar emergency requests from the Trump administration in 20 other cases.

The case centers on a decision late in the Biden administration to extend TPS to Venezuelans, citing ongoing political instability in the country.

The program, established in 1990, allows those from crisis-affected nations to remain in the US legally and apply for work permits in renewable 18-month periods.

The protections for Venezuelans were set to expire in October 2026, after which they could face deportations unless they qualify for other forms of relief, such as asylum.