Trump Administration Faces Court Ruling on TPS Withdrawal for Vulnerable Groups
A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to end temporary deportation protections for over 60,000 people from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nepal. This decision follows a lower court blocking the Department of Homeland Security from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for these countries until mid-November. The appeals court put the lower court's ruling on hold pending appeal. TPS provides temporary reprieve from deportation and work permits to individuals from countries unsafe due to war or natural disasters. Migrants without legal pathways like green cards or asylum applications risk deportation if TPS ends. The Trump administration previously aimed to end TPS for Nepal on August 5 and for Nicaragua and Honduras in early September. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California called the appeals court's decision 'devastating,' with one plaintiff, Sandhya Lama, stating she has lived in the U.S. for years and her children are U.S. citizens. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has sought to end TPS for migrants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, and Venezuela, arguing their countries have improved enough for return. The U.S. District Court previously ruled that the administration's actions were 'preordained' and lacked consideration of ongoing conditions in the countries. President Trump's 2024 campaign comment about migrants 'poisoning the blood of our country' was referenced by the judge.