Kristi Noem just got absolutely demolished by a federal judge who accused her of targeting immigrants because of their race

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to cancel deportation protections and work permits for more than 63,000 Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Nepali immigrants.

U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson issued a 37-page ruling Thursday that postponed a September 8 deadline imposed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for those immigrants to leave the country or lose their Temporary Protected Status.

According to Politico, Thompson’s ruling contained unusually strong language criticizing the administration’s decision-making process. The San Francisco-based Biden appointee accused Noem of using terminology drawn from discriminatory beliefs and said the decision appeared rooted in racism. Thompson also pointed to language President Donald Trump used on the campaign trail in 2023 when he denounced immigrants for “poisoning the blood of our country.”

The judge delivered a particularly sharp rebuke in her written decision, stating that “color is neither a poison nor a crime.” Thompson wrote in the preamble to her ruling that the plaintiffs seek “the freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream,” but instead “are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood.” The court disagreed with this approach, she emphasized. Noem has previously made controversial statements about security policies.

Judge extends protections until November as legal battle continues

Thompson’s decision extended TPS status for the affected groups until November 18, with plans to hold a hearing on that date to consider further relief. The ruling affects almost 53,000 Hondurans, nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, and over 7,500 Nepalis who currently have TPS protection. These numbers are significantly smaller than the approximately 600,000 Venezuelan TPS recipients who face separate legal challenges.

The Trump administration, which has expanded immigration enforcement authority, may have grounds for optimism in higher courts. The Supreme Court recently lifted most of a lower-court judge’s order that had postponed Noem’s termination of TPS for thousands of Venezuelans. The high court also allowed the termination of a similar immigration status known as parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.

Thompson’s accusations of racism echo similar findings from another federal judge. In March, San Francisco-based Judge Edward Chen, an Obama appointee, described Noem’s rationale for ending protections for Venezuelans as “a classic example of racism.” The 1990 law creating TPS was designed to provide temporary protection linked to dangerous conditions in immigrants’ home countries, such as war or natural disasters.

However, both Republican and Democratic administrations have extended some protections for years or even decades. The initial TPS designation for Nicaragua and Honduras came in 1999 following Hurricane Mitch, while Nepal received TPS status in 2015 after an earthquake. Immigrant rights advocates say about half of TPS recipients are pursuing other legal avenues to remain in the United States.