60,000 Migrants Face Deportation Risk After Appeals Court Sides With Trump

The legal landscape for tens of thousands of migrants shifted dramatically Wednesday when a federal appeals court granted the Trump administration’s request to halt temporary protections. The ruling affects individuals from three nations who have lived in the United States for years, some for over two decades.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate these protective designations now moves forward after the Ninth Circuit’s intervention. The administration argues that conditions in Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua no longer warrant special protections, despite ongoing challenges in these countries.
Immigration attorneys characterize the move as systematic “de-documentation” of long-term residents who have built lives, raised families, and contributed economically to their communities. Many affected individuals arrived following natural disasters, including Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and have maintained legal status for decades.
The broader context reveals the Trump administration’s comprehensive approach to immigration enforcement, having already terminated similar protections for nearly one million migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Cameroon. Legal challenges continue in multiple federal courts as advocates fight to preserve these humanitarian protections.