SAN FRANCISCO – A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson of San Francisco issued the ruling, finding that the terminations, announced by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, were likely rooted in "racial animus" and were "preordained."
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the National TPS Alliance and individual plaintiffs, challenging the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) move to end the humanitarian program for these three nations. As stated in the tweet by Kyle Cheney, the judge found the cancelation was likely rooted in "racial animus." This decision provides a reprieve for tens of thousands of individuals who faced the loss of legal status and potential deportation.
Judge Thompson's finding of "racial animus" stems from evidence presented that suggested the administration's immigration policies, including the TPS terminations, were influenced by discriminatory intent rather than solely by statutory country conditions. The court noted that Noem's decisions were "preordained" and did not fully consider the lingering conditions in Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
Temporary Protected Status is a program established by Congress, allowing foreign nationals to remain in the U.S. if their home countries are deemed unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. Honduras and Nicaragua received TPS after Hurricane Mitch in 1999, while Nepal was designated following a devastating earthquake in 2015.
The Trump administration had argued that conditions in these countries had improved sufficiently to warrant ending their TPS designations. However, the court's decision highlights concerns regarding the motivations behind these policy changes. The ruling delays the expiration of TPS for these groups, with Nepal's status previously set to expire on August 5 and Honduras and Nicaragua's on September 6. The Department of Justice has the option to appeal this decision.