A liberal-leaning federal appeals court in California on Monday night unexpectedly sided with the Trump administration by allowing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end Temporary Protected Status for migrants from three countries.

The San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order freezing a lower court ruling that would have vacated Noem's decision to end protections for immigrants from Nepal, Honduras and Nicaragua, according to Fox News.

The court ruled that the federal government would succeed on the grounds that Noem's decision "was not arbitrary or capricious." 

Noem had argued the grounds for the temporary protected status no longer existed because they were tied to specific events that happened years ago, and the DHS has argued that the designations were designed to be temporary. 

"This is a crucial legal win from Justice Department attorneys that helps clear the way for President Trump’s continued deportations," Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X. "As the court found, ‘the government is likely to prevail in its argument’ that ending Temporary Protected Status for some immigrants is sound and lawful policy. We are proud to represent the Trump Administration in court every day."

Temporary Protected Status is given to people from countries that are unsafe because of a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions. The protections are granted for six, 12 or 18 months and allow the recipient to work in the United States and prevents them from being deported.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.