A federal appeals court backed President Trump’s bid to end special protected status for migrants from what he once reportedly called “s–hole countries,” ruling Monday that his decisions are beyond the court’s powers of review.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected claims that the administration was motivated by “animus” toward four countries involved in the case — El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan — when it sought to end Temporary Protected Status for migrants from those nations.
The dual findings overturn a lower court’s ruling and mark a major win for the president and Homeland Security, though other courts have issued their own holds on at least some of the policies.
Immigrant-rights activists said they were devastated by the decision, which could turn hundreds of thousands of people into illegal immigrants unless they leave.
Temporary Protected Status is granted to migrants caught in the U.S. when natural disasters, political upheaval or other tragedies befall their home countries. It allows them to remain temporarily even if they were here illegally or their visas were due to expire, giving their home countries a chance to recover.
But in the case of El Salvador that temporary reprieve is now nearly two decades old, stemming from a 2001 earthquake. Haiti’s designation came after a 2010 earthquake. The Trump administration said the countries had recovered, but activists objected and asked the courts to intervene.
