Donald Trump suffered a legal setback Thursday after a federal judge ruled against his administration's efforts to end Temporary Protected Status for tens of thousands of migrants.

The decision extends protections for more than 60,000 people from Central America and Asia, including Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua, halting plans to revoke their legal status.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Justice and the Department for Homeland Security for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration's push to end TPS for migrants is part of a broader effort to enable mass deportations and restrict immigration. His administration has already moved to terminate protections for over 1 million people, including nationals from Venezuela, Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Cameroon.

But a new court ruling blocking that effort marks a significant setback, potentially delaying or derailing parts of Trump's hardline immigration agenda.

What To Know

Temporary Protected Status shields certain immigrants in the U.S. from deportation and allows them to work legally if their home countries are deemed unsafe due to disasters or political unrest. The protection can be extended by the Homeland Security Secretary.

Kristi Noem moved to end TPS for tens of thousands of people from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, arguing their home countries were now safe and that Honduras and Nicaragua had made "significant progress" in recovering from 1998's Hurricane Mitch, one of the deadliest Atlantic storms in history. The TPS program for Nepal was announced in 2015, after an earthquake hit the small Asian country.

But U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson said the administration ended the migrant status protections without an "objective review of the country conditions" such as political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent hurricanes and storms in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua has faced a series of destructive storms in recent years, with the most recent being Tropical Storm Sara in November 2024. The storm brought intense rains that caused flooding and landslides across several parts of the country. Over 1,800 homes were affected, and around 5,000 people were displaced.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands are fleeing repression under President Daniel Ortega and co-President Rosario Murillo, who have consolidated control and dismantled civil society. A February report by U.N. experts warned of "systematic" human rights violations designed to cement total control.

The Department of State also advises U.S. citizens to "reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to arbitrary enforcement of laws, the risk of wrongful detention, and limited healthcare availability."

Nepal has also been hit by a series of deadly natural disasters during the 2024 and 2025 monsoon seasons. Between late May and the end of June 2025, floods, landslides, lightning strikes, and windstorms killed at least 31 people and injured more than 150. Over 1,000 families were affected, with damages estimated at over NPR 333 million.

And Honduras has seen a sharp rise in political violence and attacks on civil society figures in 2025, particularly targeting journalists, environmental activists, and land defenders. In June, Salvadoran journalist Javier Antonio Hércules Salinas was shot dead despite being under state protection. Just days earlier, sports journalist Carlos Gilberto Aguirre was killed in a separate attack. Constitutional rights, including freedom of assembly and movement, also remain suspended in many areas.

The ruling halts plans that would have forced thousands to leave the U.S. within just two months, risking job loss, loss of health insurance, family separation, and deportation to countries many haven't lived in for decades. The judge warned the termination would also cause an estimated $1.4 billion loss to the U.S. economy.

The lawsuit, brought by the National TPS Alliance, argued that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's decision was predetermined by President Trump's campaign promises to create the largest deportation program in American history, and motivated by racial animus. The judge agreed, saying statements by Trump and Noem perpetuated a "discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population."

The court's decision was welcomed in Honduras, where Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio Garcíasaid: "The judge recognized the need of the [TPS holders] to be able to work in peace, tranquility and legally."

He recalled a similar legal battle during Trump's first term that lasted five years and expressed hope that this case would allow Hondurans to remain in the U.S.:
"Today's news is hopeful and positive and gives us time and oxygen... hopefully it will be a long road, and the judge will have the final word and not President Trump."

The Justice Department defended the policy, arguing that Noem had legal authority to end TPS and that the program was never intended to be permanent.

"It is not meant to be permanent," said government attorney William Weiland.

What People Are Saying

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said earlier this month the decision to end TPS for Nicaragua "restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary."

"Temporary Protected Status was never meant to last a quarter of a century. 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."

Kristi Noem stated in a press release earlier this month: "It is clear that the Government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago."

"Honduran citizens can safely return home, and DHS is here to help facilitate their voluntary return."

Judge Thompson said: "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."

She added: "Color is neither a poison nor a crime."

What Happens Next

The judge did not set an expiration date but rather ruled to keep the protections in place while the case proceeds. The next hearing is Nov. 18.

The story includes reporting from The Associated Press.