US appeals court allows Trump administration to remove deportation protections for Afghans, Cameroonians

Washington: A federal judge on Monday lifted an order preventing the Trump administration from stripping temporary protected status (TPS) for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians in the United States.

The Trump administration moved in April to end TPS for Afghans and Cameroonians in the US, saying conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer merited the protected status. The move affected an estimated 14,600 Afghans and 7,900 Cameroonians.

Immigration advocacy organization CASA filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted an administrative stay on the termination until July 21.

In Monday's ruling, the appeals panel agreed with a lower court that CASA has stated "a plausible claim for relief with regard to the alleged 'preordained'" decision to terminate TPS.

"At this procedural posture, however, there is insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy of a postponement of agency action pending appeal," the panel wrote.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TPS program, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.