San Francisco (BN24) – A federal appeals court has sided with President Donald Trump, granting his administration authority to move forward with ending temporary protections for tens of thousands of migrants from Central America and Nepal.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco issued its ruling on Wednesday, halting a lower court’s order that had kept in place Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 60,000 migrants. The decision marks a major legal victory for Trump, whose administration has sought to dismantle programs that have shielded long-term immigrant communities from deportation.
The ruling immediately affects approximately 7,000 Nepalis, whose protections expired Aug. 5, as well as 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans whose legal status is set to expire Sept. 8. Once those deadlines pass, migrants under TPS would become eligible for removal, potentially disrupting families and communities where many have lived for decades.
The three-judge panel, which included appointees of both Republican and Democratic presidents, said the administration could proceed with its policy changes while litigation continues. “The district court’s order granting plaintiffs’ motion to postpone, entered July 31, 2025, is stayed pending further order of this court,” the panel wrote.
The decision came just one week after U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson had blocked the administration from moving forward, saying the policy shift lacked an “objective review” of conditions in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. Thompson pointed to continuing political violence in Honduras, recent hurricane devastation in Nicaragua, and ongoing instability in Nepal as reasons to maintain protections.
Created in 1990, Temporary Protected Status allows migrants to remain and work legally in the United States if their home countries are deemed too dangerous due to conflict, natural disasters, or other emergencies. Critics of the program, including Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, argue that TPS was never intended to become a pathway to permanent residency but has been used that way by prior administrations.
“The Trump administration is systematically de-documenting immigrants who have lived lawfully in this country for decades, raising U.S.-citizen children, starting businesses, and contributing to their communities,” said Jessica Bansal, attorney with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
Administration officials countered that TPS was never meant to be “a de facto asylum system.” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, said the decision reflects a return to the program’s original intent.
Many of those affected have lived in the United States for decades. Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants were first granted TPS in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America. Nepalis gained protection in 2015 after a catastrophic earthquake. Advocates say removing protections now would rip apart communities where TPS holders have started businesses, bought homes, and raised American-born children.
The Trump administration has already ended TPS designations for other nationalities, including 350,000 Venezuelans, 500,000 Haitians, 160,000 Ukrainians, and thousands from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Lawsuits challenging those decisions remain pending.
Immigrant rights groups are vowing to continue their legal fight. The case is expected to move back to the lower courts for further hearings, with the next session scheduled for Nov. 18. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that the administration’s moves were politically motivated and rooted in racial animus, pointing to Trump’s campaign promises to restrict immigration.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court has already allowed the administration to terminate TPS protections for Venezuelans in a separate case earlier this year, signaling that the justices may ultimately side with the government in the broader fight over migrant protections.
For now, the appeals court’s ruling clears the way for Trump to press forward with one of his most sweeping immigration rollbacks, even as tens of thousands of families brace for possible deportation.
