Court blocks Trump administration from ending deportation protections for Afghans for now

An appeals court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking deportation protections and work permits for thousands of people from Afghanistan.

The administration had planned to end temporary protected status for Afghanistan on Monday, part of a broader push to cut back a program that gives migrants reprieve from deportation if their home country is deemed unsafe. The administration argues those protections aren't meant to be permanent and Afghanistan's security situation has improved, though opponents say the country remains unsafe and revocation would force people to uproot their lives.

But in a late-night ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit blocked the administration from putting into place its withdrawal of temporary protected status for one week. The court's administrative stay didn't weigh in on the merits of the case, instead giving the administration and CASA — a group that sued the government over its policy — time to file briefs.