San Francisco judge suspends Trump administration's decision to end protected status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco judge suspends Trump administration's decision to end protected status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants - Los Angeles Times

Ramos v. Nielsen was filed in the Northern District of California.

At a Sept. 25 hearing, lawyers asked the judge to temporarily block the terminations so that residents of the affected countries won’t be deported while the case plays out in court. More than 1,000 Sudanese immigrants would have been at risk of deportation if the first scheduled TPS termination took place Nov. 2.

TPS is a form of humanitarian relief granted to countries devastated by natural disasters or war that allows beneficiaries to work legally while they remain in the U.S. Created in 1990, the program applies to people from 10 countries. But the Trump administration has announced the termination of TPS for 98% of those who have it, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades. After the lawsuit was filed, Trump also cancelled TPS for Honduras and Nepal.

Sean Commons, a partner with Sidley Austin LLP, said the decision prevents the separation of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizen children from their parents.

“Judge Chen’s decision reaffirms the importance of our judicial system and the checks and balances in place to hold our government accountable,” he said.