A federal appeals court has blocked the Trump administration from ending protections from deportation for some 600,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S.

The decision from a three-judge panel for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstalls Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans in the U.S., which were lifted by the Supreme Court despite a lower court ruling determining the Trump administration unlawfully axed the protection.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas redesignated TPS for Venezuela shortly before leaving office, pointing to the “complex, serious and multidimensional humanitarian crisis” in the country.

Days after taking office, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem purported to vacate that decision, saying she would not allow the Biden administration “to tie our hands.”

The appeals court sided with TPS holders in determining Noem did not have the power to vacate their protections.

“We hold that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the vacatur of a prior extension of TPS is not........

© The Hill