A U.S. federal court in California has issued a temporary injunction preventing the deportation of thousands of Hondurans, Nepalese, and Nicaraguans whose legal protections under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) were recently revoked by the Trump administration.
In a 37-page ruling on Thursday, District Judge Trina Thompson emphasized the plaintiffs' pursuit of safety and opportunity in the U.S., stating, “The freedom to live without fear, the chance to embrace liberty, and the promise of the American dream that is all these individuals seek.”
Judge Thompson, based in San Francisco, strongly rejected the administration’s stance, declaring, “They are being told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood. The Court does not agree.”
Last month, the Trump administration terminated TPS for over 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans who had been granted refuge after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America in 1998. Additionally, around 7,000 Nepalese, who received TPS following a catastrophic 2015 earthquake, are also affected.
TPS is a U.S. immigration program that provides temporary residency to foreign nationals unable to return safely to their home countries due to war, natural disasters, or other extreme conditions. The Trump administration has also moved to revoke TPS for hundreds of thousands of individuals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, and Venezuela actions now facing legal challenges.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justified the terminations, claiming conditions in these nations have improved enough for safe returns. “Temporary Protected Status was always meant to be just that temporary,” stated DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
However, Judge Thompson suspended the TPS terminations for Hondurans, Nepalese, and Nicaraguans pending a November 18 hearing on a lawsuit challenging the decision. She argued that the administration’s move appeared predetermined rather than based on an objective assessment of country conditions.
The judge also suggested the policy may be influenced by racial bias, citing a 2024 campaign remark by President Trump in which he referred to migrants as “poisoning the blood of our country.” Thompson countered, “One’s heritage is neither a toxin nor a criminal offense.”
President Trump has vowed to execute the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, with a focus on restricting immigration, particularly from Latin American countries.
Source: Independent reporting
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