US judge postpones end of protected status for immigrants

A US federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration's plan to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, extending protection for around 60,000 migrants from the Central American and Asian countries, including Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua, according to CBS News.

Judge Trina Thompson of the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday blocked the administration's attempt to terminate the TPS program, although she did not set a date for when the case will be resolved.

While the legal process continues, Thompson ordered that protections for the roughly 60,000 migrants enrolled in the program remain in place.

She said the administration had ended these protections without conducting an objective assessment of country conditions, such as the political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent hurricanes and storms in Nicaragua.

Thompson also noted that statements by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reflected a discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations are replacing the white population.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 18.

Previously, on July 8, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that the TPS program for Nicaraguan and Honduran migrants would be terminated.

Official government data shows that 72,000 Hondurans, 12,700 Nepalis, and 4,000 Nicaraguans are currently covered under the TPS program.

However, some individuals have since obtained green cards, granting them lawful permanent residency in the US.

This includes approximately 21,000 Hondurans, along with an estimated 5,500 Nepalis and 1,100 Nicaraguans.

Since Trump assumed office in January, his administration has moved to end TPS protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including those from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, and Venezuela.

While lower federal courts blocked some of these termination efforts, the Supreme Court ultimately allowed the government to lift TPS protections for over 300,000 Venezuelans.