Federal Judge Blocks DHS Move to End Deportation Protections for 3 Countries

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration cannot end deportation protections for thousands of nationals from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the end of temporary protected status (TPS) for Nicaragua would occur in September, Honduras also in September, and Nepal in August. TPS provides deportation relief and work permits to people already in the United States if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary event. Under the program, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has the authority to grant, extend, or terminate TPS designations for specific countries. In a 52-page order on Dec. 31, Judge Trina Thompson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California cited public statements made by President Donald Trump and Noem that she said “reflect a stereotyping of the immigrants protected under the TPS program as criminal invaders and perpetuate the discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population.”...