Federal Judge Issues Ruling On Trump’s New TPS Policy

By
Rachel Stevenson
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And here we go again—another federal judge from San Francisco deciding that he, not the executive branch, gets to call the shots on immigration policy. U.S. Senior District Judge Edward Chen, a proud graduate of the Obama Judicial Activist Academy, has now blocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from doing what the law literally mandates: ending a “temporary” program that’s become anything but temporary.

Let’s recap: the Trump administration moved to roll back the Biden-era expansion of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans—348,202 of them, to be exact. These individuals were granted protection from deportation and given work permits under the usual Democratic logic of “if you let everyone in and never send anyone home, you’ll be reelected forever.”

Secretary Noem, in a rare act of sanity out of Washington, said the conditions in Venezuela have improved enough that TPS no longer applies. And for the record, that’s what TPS is supposed to be—temporary, not a golden ticket to permanent residency under a different name.

But not so fast, said Judge Chen, who apparently moonlights as an economist, immigration policy expert, and sociologist, all rolled into one. He claimed that ending the program would cause “irreparable harm,” not just to the migrants, but also to the U.S. economy. That’s right—according to Chen, deporting illegal immigrants would tank the economy, because apparently American prosperity now depends on the mass importation of foreign labor with legal status granted under emergency conditions that no longer exist. Who knew?

Chen also took offense—deep offense—to Secretary Noem’s mention of rising concerns about Venezuelan gang infiltration, especially from Tren de Aragua. In fact, he said the suggestion “smacks of racism,” because apparently flagging national security threats is now a hate crime if the suspects aren’t American-born.

You’d think Tren de Aragua—designated as a transnational criminal organization involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and violent crime—might warrant a little scrutiny. But no, according to Judge Chen, connecting any dots between TPS holders and criminal elements is pure fiction, unsupported by “evidence,” and, of course, vaguely xenophobic.

Never mind that we’ve had numerous recent reports of Venezuelan gang members slipping across the border and embedding in U.S. cities. Never mind that cities like Chicago and New York are groaning under the weight of tens of thousands of “asylum seekers” with no jobs, no housing, and plenty of free time. This judge is convinced—absolutely convinced—that every TPS recipient is a college graduate working full-time and paying into Social Security like a dream. You almost wonder if he thinks they’re better citizens than Americans themselves.

And that’s the other kicker—Chen actually wrote that TPS holders are more educated, less criminal, and more economically productive than the average U.S. citizen. So not only should they stay, we should apparently be thanking them for the privilege of hosting them. This isn’t a legal ruling—it’s a TED Talk disguised as a court order.

Tom Homan got it right. TPS was never meant to be a backdoor to permanent residence. It was created to offer short-term refuge during genuine crises—earthquakes, wars, political collapse. Once the conditions improve, people go home. That’s the deal. But under the current regime of progressive bench activism, “temporary” is just another word for “forever,” and “law” is whatever fits the narrative.

Trump has said it before and will say it again: the rule of law matters. And come 2025, don’t be surprised if the next administration starts asking why unelected judges in San Francisco think they’re running national immigration policy. Until then, expect more of these rulings—because for the left, borders are optional, laws are flexible, and facts are always racist.

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