Trump Admin Notches Major Victory In Court Fight To End Amnesty Protections For Thousands

A federal appeals court gave Trump administration officials the green light to end deportation protections for tens of thousands of migrants from Central America and Asia.

In a ruling handed down late Wednesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals permitted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 60,000 Honduran, Nicaraguan and Nepali nationals as a court challenge against the directive continues to play out. The unanimous decision by the three-judge panel overruled an order handed down weeks earlier by a Biden-appointed judge.

The Trump administration, which has aggressively sought to end TPS protections for other foreign nationals living in the country, hailed the decision as a “major legal victory.”

“This is yet another huge legal victory for the Trump Administration, the rule of law, safety of the American public,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a public statement. “Temporary Protected Status was always meant to be just that: Temporary.”

“TPS was never meant to be a de facto asylum system, yet that is how previous administrations have used it for decades while allowing hundreds of thousands of foreigners into the country without proper vetting,” McLaughlin continued. “This unanimous decision will help restore integrity to our 🛂Immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe.”

The appeals court victory means the Trump administration can move forward with removing roughly 7,000 Nepalis whose TPS designations expired on Aug. 5,