• A US appeals court has halted temporary protected status (TPS) for 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.
• The ruling supports the Trump administration's move to end TPS, claiming it is no longer justified.
• Critics argue the decision lacks an objective review of country conditions and is racially motivated.
• Continuing TPS has been characterized as a de facto asylum system by DHS officials.
• The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 18, where further arguments will be heard.

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked a lower ruling that protected roughly 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal from deportation, siding with the Trump administration’s initiative to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted an emergency stay on the earlier decision from July 31, which had halted the termination of TPS, citing insufficient reviews of conditions in these countries, according to India Times and Newsweek.

The court’s ruling means that protections for approximately 7,000 Nepalis, which expired on August 5, have now been lifted, while the TPS statuses of around 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans are set to lapse on September 8. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem argued the conditions in these communities no longer warranted temporary protections, reporting on the government’s stance, Al Jazeera indicated the administration’s interpretation that maintaining TPS turned it into a de facto asylum system.

Immigrant advocates have expressed strong opposition to the ruling, contending it reflects a politically motivated decision designed to align with President Trump’s campaign promises. U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson previously maintained that the administration's actions failed to account for ongoing political violence and environmental issues in the home countries of these migrants, as covered by CBS News and TRT Global.

According to reports, the Trump administration has since sought to terminate TPS for additional countries, continuing a larger pattern of restricting immigration policies and facilitating mass deportations. The next hearing on this case is slated for November 18, which will further evaluate the validity of these protections and the legality of the administration's actions, stated Reuters and NPR.