Appeals court ends protections for 60,000 immigrants

A US federal appeals court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to end deportation protections and revoke work permits for over 63,000 immigrants from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nepal.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Justice Department's request for an emergency order allowing the government to proceed with terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of the three countries while litigation continues, Politico reported.

The new ruling reverses the US District Judge Trina Thompson's opinion last month that the administration's directive to end TPS was motivated by racism.

The appellate panel — made up of Judge Consuelo Callahan, appointed by President George W. Bush; Judge Eric Miller, appointed by President Donald Trump; and Judge Michael Hawkins, appointed by President Bill Clinton — issued a brief two-page order without offering detailed reasoning.

Under the government's timeline, TPS status for Nepalis expired on Aug. 5, while protections for Hondurans and Nicaraguans are set to end on Sept. 8, barring further court action, Politico reported.

Yet not all of the 63,000 immigrants affected by Wednesday's ruling face immediate removal, as some have pending asylum or deportation-withholding cases that may permit them to stay in the US.

The 9th Circuit declined a separate government request to pause proceedings in Thompson's courtroom, despite signals the administration may seek to have her removed from the case, which is still proceeding even after the appeals court struck down her directive.