Court rules temporary protections status for migrants can be terminated

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a generally left-leaning court, has handed the Trump administration a massive win.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, which had been awarded due to natural disasters in 1999 and 2015. The protections remained in place despite their temporary nature until the Trump administration acted to terminate them. While this was initially contested by the National TPS Alliance, which argued the move was “arbitrary and capricious” and in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

They saw a brief win when, on December 31, 2025, Noem’s order was canceled by a San Francisco district court judge who sided with the plaintiffs. Upon appeal, the case was assigned to Judges Hawkins, Callahan and Miller by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel, who eventually found that the order was rational, and not “arbitrary or capricious.”

“This is a crucial legal win from [Department of Justice] attorneys that helps clear the way for President Trump’s continued deportations. As the court found, ‘the government is likely to prevail in its argument’ that ending Temporary Protected Status for some immigrants is sound and lawful policy. We are proud to represent the Trump Administration in court every day,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X.

“While Judges Callahan and Miller appear to have authored the main analysis, Judge Hawkins wrote a separate concurring opinion. He agreed with the result based on recent Supreme Court guidance, but said he would not rule on the plaintiffs’ claims at this early stage,” Fox News reported.

X users reacted to the news:

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Sierra Marlee

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles