Judge voids decision to end legal status of 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua
Source: CBS News
December 31, 2025 / 6:43 PM EST / CBS News
A federal judge in California on Wednesday voided the Trump administration's move to terminate the Temporary Protected Status of roughly 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, calling it a "pre-ordained decision." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of the TPS programs for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua in June and July, saying the three countries had recovered from the environmental disasters that prompted the U.S. government to grant their nationals temporary legal refuge.
Created by Congress in 1990, the TPS policy allows the U.S. government to give certain foreigners deportation protections and work permits, temporarily, if their native countries are facing armed conflict, an environmental disaster or another emergency that makes their return unsafe.
In late July, U.S. District Court Judge Trina Thompson delayed the termination of the TPS programs for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, issuing a preliminary finding that the Trump administration failed to consider lingering problems in three nations and that the decision to terminate the policies was motivated by racial animus, or racial hostility. That ruling was paused in August by an appeals court, allowing the Trump administration to end the programs.
But Thompson issued a summary judgment on Wednesday, finding that the effort to revoke the legal status of tens of thousands of Hondurans, Nepalis and Nicaraguans was unlawful. She said Noem's move "was preordained and pretextual rather than based on an objective review of the country conditions as required by the TPS statute and the (Administrative Procedures Act)."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-temporary-protected-status-honduras-nepal-nicaragua/
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.452397/gov.uscourts.cand.452397.197.0.pdf