A significant judicial decision has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s efforts to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of immigrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, offering a crucial reprieve to long-term residents.

This ruling, while potentially subject to higher court review, provides a vital lifeline for over 60,000 individuals who have legally resided and worked in the United States for years, some even since the late 1990s, under the comprehensive TPS immigration program.

Immigrants from Nepal, who were facing the immediate loss of their legal status, were set to be impacted next week. Similarly, TPS holders from Honduras and Nicaragua were slated to lose their work permits and deportation protections in early September, making this federal court ruling particularly timely.

U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco mandated that the planned TPS terminations for these specific countries be postponed until at least November 18, the date scheduled for a hearing to thoroughly assess the merits of the lawsuit challenging the Trump immigration policy.

The Temporary Protected Status program, established by Congress in 1990, empowers the Department of Homeland Security to grant temporary safe haven—including deportation deferrals and work authorization—to individuals from nations afflicted by armed conflict, natural disasters, or other profound crises.

The Trump administration had actively sought to curtail various TPS programs, asserting that some were no longer in the U.S. national interest and had persisted beyond their intended temporary scope, despite claims of improved conditions in the designated countries. This perspective underpinned the decision to end protections for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

However, Judge Thompson indicated that the TPS holders suing the administration were likely to prevail in their argument that the termination decisions were “preordained,” suggesting a lack of comprehensive consideration for the enduring challenges within Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

Furthermore, the judge referenced a comment by then-President Trump during the 2024 campaign, where he controversially stated that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally were “poisoning the blood of our country,” hinting at potential racial animus influencing the administration’s immigration policies.

This ruling adds to a pattern of federal courts blocking various TPS terminations initiated by the Trump administration since his tenure began, affecting hundreds of thousands across different nationalities. Representatives for DHS have yet to comment on the recent court order or the judge’s observations regarding the motivations behind the terminations.