Judge Blocks DHS Bid To End Protected position For Immigrants From Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

A federal judge on July 31 blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending temporary protected status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

TPS is a designation that allows individuals from countries affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary events to remain in the United States.

In a 37-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson of the U.S. District Court in Northern California ordered that protections for immigrants from those countries remain in place until the next hearing on Nov. 18.

Thompson stated that the plaintiffs had presented sufficient evidence showing that DHS’s decision to terminate TPS designations for Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua was predetermined, rather than based on an “objective review” of conditions such as the impact of natural disasters that hit those countries.

While DHS had argued that extending TPS for those countries would undermine U.S. foreign policy and national interests, Thompson said the agency failed to identify which interests were at stake.

“The freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream. That is all plaintiffs seek. Instead, they are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood. The Court disagrees,” the judge stated.

Thompson stated that immigrants from the three nations could face irreparable harm if TPS is terminated, including loss of employment, health insurance, and family separation. The government had argued that they could apply for lawful status.

People are making fun of this moronic opinion for being written at the level of a 9th grade essay, but I’m just glad it clearly wasn’t written using AI. Call me Mr. Brightside. https://t.co/PE4r9Kormr

— Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* (@EsotericCD) August 1, 2025

The plaintiffs are TPS holders from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

They alleged that DHS’s decision to end the program violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment.

Jessica Bansal, attorney at the National Day Laborer Organization, which represents the plaintiffs, said in a statement that they welcomed the court’s decision to postpone what they described as “cruel and illegal” termination of TPS designations.

“This ruling gives us strength, affirms the power of organizing, and reminds us what’s at stake: the right to stay in the only home many of us have ever known,” Teofilo Martinez, a Honduran TPS holder and one of the plaintiffs, said in the statement.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Honduras and Nicaragua were designated for TPS in 1999 following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch. The designations for both nations had remained in place due to disruptions to living conditions.

DHS stated in July that TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua would end 60 days after the agency published its notices in the Federal Register on July 7, noting that the countries’ current conditions no longer warrant protection under the program. The agency estimated that about 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans are covered by TPS.

“Temporary Protected Status was never meant to last a quarter of a century,” a DHS spokesperson stated on July 7. “The impacts of a natural disaster impacting Nicaragua in 1999 no longer exist. The environmental situation has improved enough that it is safe enough for Nicaraguan citizens to return home. This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary.”

Nepal was granted TPS in 2015 after a major earthquake that affected a third of its population. The designation was later extended and, according to DHS, covered about 12,700 Nepalese nationals, of whom 5,500 have since become lawful permanent residents in the United States.

DHS planned to terminate Nepal’s TPS on Aug. 5, citing improvements in the country’s disaster preparedness and response capacity.

Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals had been advised to use the CBP Home app to report their departure from the United States and take advantage of a self-deportation process that includes a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and an opportunity to legally migrate to the United States in the future, according to statements issued by DHS.

On May 19, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could move forward with ending TPS for more than 300,000 Venezuelan nationals, potentially paving the way for other TPS terminations to occur.