A federal court has put a stop to a lower court’s ruling that would have prevented the government from ending special protections for some immigrants. These protections, called Temporary Protected Status (TPS), were in place for people from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco decided that the government can move forward with ending TPS for these groups. This means the government believes it has a good chance of winning the case and showing that its decision to end TPS was reasonable.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the original decision to end these protections. The court agreed that her decision wasn’t “arbitrary or capricious,” suggesting she had a rational basis for her actions.
TPS was initially granted to these countries because of environmental disasters. Nepal received it after an earthquake in 2015, while Honduras and Nicaragua were given TPS after Hurricane Mitch in 1999. The government has argued that TPS is meant to be temporary, and it’s important to check if the original reasons for the protections still exist.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the court’s decision, stating that it supports the government’s efforts to enforce immigration laws. She emphasized that ending TPS for these immigrants is a lawful policy.
The case was brought by the National TPS Alliance, which argued that ending the protections was unfair. A lower court had initially sided with the group, but the appeals court has now put that decision on hold.
The judges on the appeals court panel included one appointed by President Clinton, one by President George W. Bush, and one by President Trump. While two of the judges seemed to agree on the main points, one judge agreed with the outcome but had some reservations about ruling on the case so early.
