US appeals court lets Trump continue ending deportation protections

A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward, for now, with plans to end deportation protections for tens of thousands of migrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a temporary stay of a lower court ruling that had blocked the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 89,000 people from the three countries. The pause will remain in effect while the administration’s appeal continues.

In its order, the appellate court indicated that the federal government is likely to succeed in showing it had valid grounds for ending the TPS designations. The judges also suggested that decisions related to TPS terminations may fall outside the scope of judicial review, limiting the ability of courts to intervene.

TPS allows certain foreign nationals already in the United States to remain temporarily and obtain work authorization when conditions in their home countries such as armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances make return unsafe. The Trump administration has repeatedly sought to scale back or eliminate TPS designations as part of a broader effort to tighten immigration policy.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem welcomed the ruling, arguing that TPS was never intended to function as a long-term immigration benefit. In a statement following the decision, she said the administration concluded that conditions in Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua no longer justify continued protection and emphasized that TPS was meant to be temporary.

The ruling puts on hold a December decision by a federal judge in San Francisco, who had blocked the administration from ending TPS for the three countries. That judge found the Department of Homeland Security failed to adequately evaluate country conditions and raised concerns that the terminations may have been influenced by discriminatory rhetoric about immigrants.

The Ninth Circuit panel comprised of judges appointed by presidents from both major political parties disagreed, stating that the government appeared to have properly considered relevant conditions before making its decision.

Advocacy groups representing TPS holders did not immediately comment on the ruling. If the administration ultimately prevails, thousands of long-term TPS recipients could lose work authorization and face removal proceedings once their protections expire.