A judge for the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts [official website] ruled [text, PDF] Monday that a lawsuit against the Trump administration concerning the decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians, Salvadorans and Hondurans can proceed, saying the claims accusing the administration of terminating TPS for the three countries under the influence of racial motivations are plausible.

The lawsuit alleges [complaint, PDF] that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision to end TPS for the immigrants from the three countries is racially motivated. The plaintiffs claim that the decision violates the Constitution’s equal protection and due processes clauses and the Administrative Procedure Act.

US District Judge Denise Casper addressed the issues in a 42-page memorandum opinion. She found that the plaintiffs’ legal claims against DHS and President Donald Trump are valid and both parties may proceed in proving or disproving the factual basis for the claims.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice [official website] represents the plaintiffs against the Trump administration. In support of their cause, the group released a report [text, PDF] titled “Tantamount to a Death Sentence: Deported TPS Recipients Will Experience Extreme Violence and Poverty in El Salvador and Honduras”. The report details the conditions observed in the countries and the importance of saving TPS designees from returning back.