President Trump is asking the Supreme Court to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelan migrants living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status. If granted, this move would expose thousands of families to deportation—even though they arrived legally, followed the rules, and built lives here based on promises made by the U.S. government.
Let’s be clear: these are not illegal immigrants. These Venezuelans were granted TPS under a formal legal process, one created by Congress in 1990 to protect people from countries experiencing war, natural disaster, or political collapse. Venezuela qualifies on all counts. The program allows people to live and work legally in the U.S., usually in 18-month increments, until conditions in their home country improve.
Yes, President Biden was the one who extended TPS to this group. Yes, critics argued that he was using the program to manage a surge at the border without fixing the underlying system. But here’s the bottom line: the United States government made a promise. These migrants accepted that offer in good faith. They went through background checks, paid legal fees, found housing, secured jobs, and put their children in schools. Now, with the stroke of a pen, President Trump is asking the courts to erase all of that.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer, representing the Trump administration, claims that the courts are interfering with the president’s constitutional powers over immigration and foreign policy. He argues that ending TPS doesn’t automatically mean deportation—migrants could, in theory, find other legal avenues to stay. But let’s not pretend this is anything other than an effort to clear the decks. In practice, ending TPS throws people into limbo and signals that the government is willing to abandon even those who followed the rules.
This isn’t about whether we support Biden’s border policies. It’s not about being for or against stricter immigration controls. It’s about trust and accountability. When the government invites people in under the protection of U.S. law, it takes on a responsibility to honor that deal. We may not like the policy that got us here, but we cannot just rip the rug out from under these families because a new president wants to make a point.
The court that blocked Trump’s attempt to cancel TPS did so for good reason. Judge Edward Chen found that ending the program would not only devastate families but could also cost the U.S. billions in lost economic activity. He also noted the government failed to show how keeping TPS in place would cause any harm. So who exactly benefits from ending it?
The United States doesn’t get stronger by breaking promises. It doesn’t earn respect by targeting the most vulnerable people in its care. These Venezuelan migrants did what we asked of them. They trusted us. That may have been a mistake—but it was our mistake, not theirs. Now it’s on us to keep our word.
