Overview
- U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued an administrative stay keeping Temporary Protected Status in place for roughly 232 South Sudanese beneficiaries and about 73 pending applicants as an emergency lawsuit proceeds.
- The South Sudan order averts the early January lapse of protections and sets expedited briefing through mid-January, with filings due by Jan. 9 and Jan. 13, without deciding the case on the merits.
- DHS moved to end South Sudan’s TPS in a Nov. 5 notice under Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing conditions have improved; a DHS official criticized the court’s action, while plaintiffs cite ongoing conflict, severe food insecurity and a U.N. experts’ report.
- A separate ruling by U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco blocked DHS terminations for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, restoring TPS for an estimated 89,000 people after finding the government likely failed required reviews and plausibly acted with racial animus.
- The legal fights reflect a broader push by the administration to roll back TPS for multiple countries, with courts issuing mixed outcomes, including a prior Supreme Court decision allowing the end of protections for some Venezuelans.