Judge Halts Administration's Deportation Rollback Over Racial Bias Concerns

A U.S. federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections for migrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. The decision cited racial hostility as a motivating factor for the rollbacks. Temporary Protected Status allows migrants from crisis-hit countries to stay and work in the U.S.

A U.S. federal judge issued an order on Wednesday preventing the Trump administration from terminating deportation protections for thousands of migrants from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. Critics argued that the decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for these migrants was driven by racial prejudice.

District Judge Trina Thompson, based in San Francisco, highlighted statements by former President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that characterized immigrants as criminals and societal burdens, suggesting these were racially charged portrayals.

TPS is a program that provides relief from deportation and work permits to migrants from countries affected by disasters or conflicts. The Trump administration's efforts to end TPS for various countries prompted legal challenges over racially motivated terminations, which the courts are scrutinizing.

(With inputs from agencies.)