A federal judge in California has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for around 60,000 people from Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua — a protection that was set to expire under the Trump administration deadline, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Thursday. The decision, the report said, effectively delays the end of temporary protection for 7,000 Nepalese, 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans.
According to the report, Nepal’s protections were due to expire Tuesday, while those for Honduras and Nicaragua were set to lapse on September 8. The TPS had allowed recipients to legally live and work in the US for decades.
Homeland Security Pushes to End Protections
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the move to end the TPS, reportedly saying that conditions in these countries no longer warranted such protections. She cited “significant progress” made by Honduras and Nicaragua since the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
However, the Trump administration has aggressively sought to end TPS for several nationalities, including Venezuelans, Haitians, and Ukrainians – as part of the US government’s immigration crackdown.
Judge Cites Racial Bias Concerns
However, US District Judge Trina L. Thompson in San Francisco ruled in favour of the plaintiffs represented by the National TPS Alliance, an advocacy group. Judge Thompson, the report said, found evidence that the Trump administration’s move may have been racially motivated.
“Color is neither a poison nor a crime,” she wrote in her ruling, granting the extension and halting deportation risks for tens of thousands.
Lawyers from the National TPS Alliance challenged the decision, accusing the administration of using TPS as a political tool. “They gave them two months to leave the country. It’s awful,” Ahilan Arulanantham, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told AP.
Government lawyers maintain the secretary’s authority over TPS is not subject to judicial review. “It is not meant to be permanent,” AP quoted Justice Department attorney William Weiland as saying.
ALSO READ: Trump Signs Executive Order to Impose New Tariffs on Several US Trading Partners
