Court ruling clears Trump Administration to proceed with cancellation of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Trump Administration, allowing it to move forward with its plan to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.

The appeals court panel was composed of three judges appointed by Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and President Donald Trump. In their decision, they upheld the previous ruling by Trina Thompson, nominated by Joe Biden.

Thompson froze the Department of Homeland Security initiative and extended the protection until at least November 18, 2025, when a new court hearing will be held. However, the new ruling allows the White House to move forward with its cancellation plan while the litigation is resolved.

"The district court's order granting plaintiffs' motion to postpone, entered July 31, 2025, is stayed pending further order of this court," the judges wrote. 

From the Trump Administration, they argue that the reasons that led to protecting these immigrants no longer remain in effect. For example, they argue that both Honduras and Nicaragua have recovered significantly since the disasters that prompted TPS (such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998), and that Nepal no longer presents such dangerous conditions as to justify continuation of the status

"Restore the integrity of our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe. That's all we—and the American people who elected President Trump—seek. (...) TPS was never meant to be a de facto asylum system, yet that is how previous administrations have used it for decades," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS.