Federal Judge Blocks Trump-Era Plan to End Protections for 60,000 Immigrants from Central America and Asia

A federal judge in San Francisco has halted the Trump administration’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of immigrants from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua—granting a major reprieve to around 60,000 individuals who faced deportation within months.

U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson ruled Thursday that the administration’s move to terminate TPS was flawed and discriminatory, lacking an objective review of current conditions in the affected countries. The decision keeps protections in place while the case continues, with the next hearing scheduled for November 18.

TPS, a humanitarian program managed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allows nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work in the U.S. legally without fear of deportation. However, the Trump administration had aggressively pushed to revoke these protections as part of a broader crackdown on immigration.

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem justified ending TPS for Hondurans and Nicaraguans by asserting those countries had made “significant progress” since the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Protections for 7,000 Nepalese were set to expire August 5, while TPS for 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans was scheduled to end on September 8.

Judge Thompson criticized the government’s decision, noting it failed to properly assess conditions like political instability in Honduras and the aftermath of recent natural disasters in Nicaragua. She warned that ending TPS would cause serious harm: job losses, health insurance cuts, family separations, and forced returns to dangerous environments.

“The freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream. That is all Plaintiffs seek,” Thompson wrote. “Instead, they are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood.”

She further concluded that the terminations were not only premature but appeared racially motivated, influenced by former President Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric. Statements by both Trump and Noem, she said, echoed “discriminatory beliefs” that immigrants of color pose a demographic threat to white Americans. “Color is neither a poison nor a crime,” Thompson added.

Lawyers for the National TPS Alliance argued that Noem’s decisions were driven by Trump’s political agenda rather than legal or humanitarian considerations. Plaintiffs said they were given as little as two months to leave the country—far less than the typical one-year grace period.

In response, Honduras Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina welcomed the ruling as “good news,” saying it affirms petitioners’ right to live without fear while legal proceedings unfold. Nicaragua, meanwhile, remains gripped by political repression under President Daniel Ortega, whose regime has forced hundreds of thousands into exile and drawn condemnation from the United Nations for severe human rights violations.

The Trump administration had already attempted to revoke TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from countries including Haiti, Venezuela, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Cameroon, many of which remain tied up in litigation.

The Justice Department, defending the administration’s stance, argued that Secretary Noem acted within her legal authority and that TPS was never meant to be a permanent solution. “It is not meant to be permanent,” DOJ attorney William Weiland stated in court.

Judge Thompson’s ruling marks a significant setback to the Trump-era immigration agenda and ensures that thousands of long-term U.S. residents can remain protected—at least for now.