A US appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally in terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals, yet over 600,000 beneficiaries remain at risk of deportation. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling on Wednesday, January 28, stating that the decision by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end the protection—originally granted under President Joe Biden—was unlawful. In the opinion, Judge Salvador Mendoza wrote that the termination order "contradicts" the statute set by Congress and was based on racial animus toward Venezuelans. Despite the legal victory, the ruling will not have an immediate effect. The US Supreme Court previously allowed the termination to proceed last October while the legal challenge continues in a California court. Jessica Bansal, a TPS attorney with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and part of the legal team representing the Venezuelans, stated that TPS holders still face the risk of detention and removal.