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A federal judge has moved to block the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of migrants, delivering another courtroom setback to the president’s immigration agenda.
The ruling prevents the administration from terminating TPS protections for approximately 60,000 individuals from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua—countries the White House says no longer meet the legal standard for emergency designation.
TPS was created by Congress in 1990 as a temporary humanitarian program, allowing certain foreign nationals already inside the United States to live and work legally if their home countries are facing war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Applicants must pass background checks and be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security.
In July, the Trump administration announced plans to phase out TPS for the three countries, arguing that conditions on the ground had stabilized. Officials stressed that TPS was never meant to last for decades and warned that repeated extensions had turned the program into a de facto amnesty system.
That effort was halted this week by U.S. District Court Judge Trina Thompson, who issued a 52-page ruling declaring the administration’s action unlawful. Her decision immediately blocks the termination of TPS for affected migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized the ruling. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek that the order represents continued judicial interference with executive authority.
Immigration has been a cornerstone of Donald Trump’s second term. The president has pledged stronger border enforcement, large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants, and an end to federal benefits for those unlawfully in the country—policies that remain popular with his voter base.
Supporters argue that repeated court interventions are undermining the president’s ability to enforce laws already passed by Congress.
Honduras and Nicaragua were first granted TPS in the late 1990s after Hurricane Mitch devastated the region. Nepal received TPS following a deadly earthquake in 2015. According to the Congressional Research Service, cited by The New York Times, roughly 50,000 Hondurans, 7,000 Nepalis, and 3,000 Nicaraguans currently remain in the U.S. under TPS protections.
Judge Thompson, who was appointed by Joe Biden, had previously delayed the administration’s plan to end TPS. An appeals court later paused that ruling, temporarily allowing the Trump administration to proceed—until this week’s decision reversed course once again.
The ruling follows a similar decision by a federal judge in Massachusetts, who recently blocked deportations of South Sudanese nationals covered by TPS, highlighting a broader trend of courts stepping into immigration enforcement disputes.
In her opinion, Judge Thompson framed the issue as a matter of fairness and moral responsibility. Administration officials strongly disagreed, arguing that TPS has been repeatedly stretched far beyond its original purpose.
“TPS was never designed to be permanent,” McLaughlin said, adding that previous administrations allowed the program to shield criminals and national security risks from removal.
Despite the setback, the Trump administration continues to challenge TPS designations for other countries, signaling that the legal battle over immigration enforcement—and the limits of presidential authority—is far from over.