The Trump-Noem Department of Homeland Security chalked up an important court victory this week revoking a label used to hide how many illegal aliens entered America under the Biden administration.
The Trump administration terminated temporary protected status (TPS) for Honduran, Nepalese, and Nicaraguan aliens, and the court was to decide whether this was the right thing to do. The United States has been giving nationals of these three countries TPS based on excuses that are more than a decade old and no longer apply. It was simply another way to import huge numbers of foreigners while pretending they were semi-legal immigrants.
DHS celebrated the court decision in favor of the Trump administration‘s decision to terminate TPS for the three listed countries in a Feb. 10 press release. The Ninth Federal Circuit Court issued the decision siding with the United States government on the argument that TPS status for the countries of Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua has not been justifiable for many years.
After the decision, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said, “A win for the rule of law and vindication for the U.S. Constitution. Under the previous administration Temporary Protected Status was abused to allow violent terrorists, criminals, and national security threats into our nation.”
Related: West Virginia Works With ICE to Arrest 650 Illegal Aliens
Democrat politicians have a tendency to allow foreigners to claim temporary protected status for decades on end, which is obviously against the very nature of the title. “TPS was never designed to be permanent, yet previous administrations have used it as a de facto amnesty program for decades,” Noem explained. “Given the improved situation in each of these countries, we are wisely concluding what was intended to be a temporary designation.” The circuit court agreed.
The DHS press release detailed why it would be ridiculous to continue granting the TPS:
In the Summer of 2025, Secretary Noem announced the termination of TPS programs for Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua. TPS status has been in place in Honduras and Nicaragua since Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and in place in Nepal since 2015 due to earthquakes. Since then, each of these countries has made tremendous strides to recover and as a result it is safe for these nationals to return home.
The problem is, once government launches a program or initiative, it becomes very difficult to get rid of it. That is the challenge the Trump administration faces in such cases.
As between 86% and 99% of asylum claims made through various programs under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden were invalid, authorities overextend TPS. In January, DHS also terminated TPS for Somalis following the massive Somali daycare fraud scandal that sucked up many millions of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota and other states.
America is a republic with a duty to its citizens first, not a charity organization obligated to welcome in every individual with difficult circumstances from around the world. Indeed, it is impossible to help everyone. America First means not giving 20 years of TPS to foreigners.
Editor’s Note: Support and follow PJ Media’s coverage of immigration enforcement and other key news in this midterm election year. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member