A pivotal U.S. appealscourt rulinghas opened the door for the Trump administration to revoke deportation protections for tens of thousands of migrants, signalling a major shift in the legal battle over Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The decision, issued by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on 9 February 2026, temporarily lifted a lower-court injunction that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from terminating TPS for nationals of Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
The ruling does not end the underlying lawsuit but allows the federal government to proceed with the termination process while the broader case continues through the courts.
The three-judge panel concluded that the government was likely to prevail in arguing that the DHS decision to end TPS was not 'arbitrary and capricious,' a key legal threshold under the Administrative Procedure Act.
By granting the emergency stay, the appeals court effectively paused an earlier ruling from U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson, who hadblocked the terminationafter determining the administration failed to properly evaluate country conditions and the decision-making process.
The earlier district-court decision had restored temporary protections for roughly 89,000 migrants and allowed them to continue working legally in the United States while litigation proceeded.
Legal analysts note that the appellate ruling represents a procedural victory rather than a final judgment, yet it significantly strengthens the government's position as the case moves forward.
A win for the rule of law and vindication for the US Constitution. Under the previous administration, Temporary Protected Status was abused to allow violent terrorists, criminals, and national security threats into our nation.TPS was never designed to be permanent, yet…pic.twitter.com/SZhVNuhU1n
Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian programme created byCongressthat allows foreign nationals to remain and work in the United States if conditions in their home countries make safe return impossible, such as natural disasters or armed conflict.
Honduras and Nicaragua were originally granted TPS following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, while Nepal received designation after the 2015 earthquake that killed thousands and displaced millions.
Source: International Business Times UK
