Noem ending protected status for Venezuelans in U.S. was illegal, federal appeals court rules
Source: CBS News/AP
January 29, 2026 / 4:57 AM EST
A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended legal protections that gave hundreds of thousands of people from Venezuela permission to live and work in the United States.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status for Venezuelans.
The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem's decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices.
An email late Wednesday night to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned. The 9th Circuit panel also upheld the lower court's finding that Noem exceeded her authority when she decided to end TPS early for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/noem-ending-protected-status-venezuelans-us-illegal-federal-appeals-court-rules/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/01/28/25-5724.pdf
A Clinton judge and 2 Biden judges.
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