Elizabeth Gonzalez feared she would lose both her job and legal status in the U.S. within days, but after a federal judge’s ruling, the Venezuelan mom of two and South Florida operations manager can breathe a sigh of relief.
“This is totally a positive change,” Gonzalez told CBS News Miami, reacting to U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s decision to block the Trump-era plan to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans.
The ruling safeguards the status of approximately 350,000 Venezuelans in the U.S.
TPS protections restored until 2026
The decision reverses an earlier move by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had declined to extend TPS protections through October 2026, as originally established by the Biden administration.
“The extension (of TPS) that goes until October 2026 is now again in place,” said Adelys Ferro, director of the Venezuelan American Caucus and a member of the TPS National Alliance, which sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in February.
Judge: DHS actions were “arbitrary and capricious”
In his 78-page ruling, Judge Chen stated that Noem’s decision was based on “a negative group stereotype” and found that DHS had failed to justify ending protections.
“The government has failed to identify any real countervailing harm in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries,” Chen wrote.
“Plaintiffs have also shown they will likely succeed in demonstrating that the actions taken by the [Homeland Security] Secretary are unauthorized by law, arbitrary and capricious and motivated by unconstitutional animus.”
What’s Next?
The federal government has one week from Monday to appeal the ruling. If upheld, the decision will allow Venezuelans with TPS to continue working legally and remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
“This is what many of us Venezuelans strived for,” Gonzalez said. “Now we can try to continue working legally.”
