A San Francisco-based federal judge has once again inserted himself into America’s immigration battle, blocking President Trump from ending temporary protected status (TPS) for more than one million Venezuelans and Haitians. The ruling, handed down Friday by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen, an Obama appointee, directly undercuts the administration’s efforts to close one of the many backdoor amnesty programs abused under Biden.
Chen’s decision applies to roughly 600,000 Venezuelans whose TPS protections either expired in April or were set to expire September 10, along with hundreds of thousands of Haitians. By his order, they will remain eligible to live and work legally in the United States, despite Trump’s push to end the program and restore control over immigration policy.
The Department of Justice argued that TPS is a discretionary program and that the executive branch has the authority to determine when and how it should end. Earlier this year, Chen had already temporarily paused Trump’s effort to rescind TPS, but in May the Supreme Court issued an 8-1 ruling lifting his block. The high court made it clear that the president has broad authority to reverse such programs, but Chen insisted Friday that the justices did not bar him from ruling on the “merits” of the case.
Chen claimed that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her statutory authority when she moved to terminate three extensions Biden had granted. He went further, calling her actions “arbitrary and capricious.” In other words, even though the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration, Chen is pressing forward with judicial activism, determined to keep Biden’s mass parole pipeline open.
The Associated Press noted that the decision essentially restores status to over one million migrants. This comes on top of the staggering numbers already admitted through Biden’s so-called “legal” pathways, including the CBP One App and the CHNV parole program. According to Customs and Border Protection data, over one million migrants were ushered in under these schemes. Those figures are not even counted in the already record-breaking illegal crossings under Biden.
For Americans fed up with sanctuary-style policies and overwhelmed cities, the ruling represents yet another example of the courts siding with foreign nationals over citizens. President Trump has promised to restore the rule of law at the border, but activist judges like Chen continue to drag the fight out in the courtroom. It is a vivid reminder that until judicial restraint returns, the immigration crisis will remain a tug-of-war between elected leadership and unelected bench politicians.
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