U.S. appellate panel upholds Trump administration's right to end legal status of 400,000 migrants

TPS supporters march
(Image credit: Jose Luis Magana/AFP/Getty Images)

A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the Trump administration can end humanitarian legal protections for about 405,500 immigrants from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal. The migrants were welcomed to the U.S. though the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) program for countries hit hard by natural disasters or civil conflict.

The three judge panel, in a 2-1 decision, rejected arguments that the administration had failed to follow proper procedures and that the decision was tainted by racist comments from President Trump and others in his aides. Two of the judges were appointed by Republicans — Trump and George W. Bush — and the dissenting vote was cast by an appointee of President Barack Obama. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the migrants, said it will seek an opinion from the full 9th Circuit and could appeal to the Supreme Court.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.