Nepal and Honduras Get Temporary Relief

Thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from Nepal and Honduras got relief after the Trump administration temporarily halted the cancellation of their protected status. A class action lawsuit was filed a month ago at the Northern District in California against the government's decision to end the humanitarian program for Nepal and Honduras.

The lawsuit had been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Day Laborer Organizing network, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and a law firm Sidney LLP on behalf of six TPS holders from the said countries and three of their US-born children. They argued that the administration's decision was 'unconstitutional' and motivated by 'racial animus'.

Prathana Gurung, campaign manager at Adhikaar, said this was a small achievement for the thousands of Nepalis living, working and depending on TPS in the US. Gurung said the news comes as a 'relief' because they have been living in uncertainty.

The special status was first granted to Nepal in 2015, following the catastrophic earthquake. Thousands of Nepalis benefited from TPS as it allowed them to live and work in the United States irrespective of prior status. The TPS initially came into being in 1990 in an effort to provide temporary relief to individuals from countries wrecked by natural disasters or in the midst of political upheavals and wars.