A federal judge has granted a crucial lifeline to over 60,000 individuals from Central America and Nepal, extending their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) despite the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate the program. This significant ruling by U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco halts the impending expiries for thousands, underscoring the ongoing legal battle over humanitarian protections.
Temporary Protected Status is a vital immigration designation allowing foreign nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. The Trump administration, driven by a broader agenda to reduce legal immigration, aggressively sought to end these protections, deeming conditions in recipient countries safe for return.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had specifically ruled to end protections for tens of thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans, asserting that their home countries had sufficiently recovered from the devastating 1998 Hurricane Mitch. The designation for approximately 7,000 Nepal immigrants was also set to expire, alongside protections for 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, many of whom have resided in the U.S. for over two decades.
U.S. Federal Judge Thompson’s order did not specify an expiration date but maintained the protections while the complex legal case proceeds, with the next hearing scheduled for November. Her sharply worded decision criticized the administration for ending migrant status protections without an “objective review of the country conditions,” highlighting persistent issues like political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent storms in Nicaragua.
The judge emphasized the severe consequences of terminating TPS, including the loss of employment and health insurance, family separations, and the risk of deportation to countries where individuals lack ties. Thompson passionately stated that ending these protections would also inflict a $1.4 billion loss on the U.S. economy and that plaintiffs sought “the freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream.”
Lawyers representing the National TPS Alliance argued that Secretary Noem’s decisions were predetermined by President Donald Trump’s campaign promises and fueled by racial animus. Judge Thompson concurred, noting that statements made by Noem and Trump perpetuated a “discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population,” directly challenging the basis of the Trump administration’s policy.
Honduras Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio García welcomed the ruling, acknowledging the need for TPS holders to work “in peace, tranquility and legally.” He drew parallels to a similar legal challenge during the first Trump administration, which endured five years in court, expressing hope for a similar outcome that would allow Hondurans to remain in the U.S.
Meanwhile, conditions in Nicaragua continue to deteriorate, with hundreds of thousands fleeing into exile amid the government’s crackdown on non-governmental organizations and imprisonment of political opponents. U.N. experts warned in February of the Nicaraguan government’s “systematically executing a strategy to cement total control of the country through severe human rights violations.”
This judicial intervention highlights the ongoing legal and humanitarian complexities surrounding immigration law and policies in the United States, as federal courts increasingly scrutinize executive decisions impacting long-term residents and their families. The battle over Temporary Protected Status continues to unfold, with significant implications for thousands of Central American migrants and the broader economic landscape.
