San Francisco, California - A federal appeals court on Wednesday granted the Trump administration's request to pause an order continuing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of people from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

A decision from a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel comes after US District Judge Trina L. Thompson late last month temporarily halted the Trump administration's bid to end TPS for the three countries.

TPS is a temporary legal status granted to nationals of designated countries who cannot safely return due to war, natural disasters, or other "extraordinary" conditions.

"The freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream. That is all Plaintiffs seek. Instead, they are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood. The Court disagrees," Thompson had written in her ruling, for which the US government sought an "emergency stay."

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"I am heartbroken by the court’s decision. I've lived in the US for years, and my kids are US citizens and have never even been to Nepal. This ruling leaves us and thousands of other TPS families in fear and uncertainty," Sandhya Lama, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement.

"We are not an 'emergency,'" she continued. "We are families, workers, and neighbors who have built our lives here. Despite this setback, we will continue to fight for justice. This decision will not silence us. Our voices will be heard."

The National TPS Alliance filed a lawsuit after Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security in July announced it was revoking TPS protections for tens of thousands of people, many of whom have lived in the US for years and have US citizen children.

The complaint argues that the terminations are motivated by racial animus and violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the US Constitution.

A hearing in the case was scheduled for November 18.

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With Wednesday's ruling, TPS was set to expire immediately for Nepal, and early next month for Honduras and Nicaragua. The terminations are expected to impact around 60,000 people, as well as their families and communities.

"I can't believe that the government wants to rip away my legal status, and separate me from my child. I have not been to Honduras since I was a baby," said plaintiff Jhony Silva. "My work, my family, my whole life is here."

"We will not stop organizing and fighting for the right to stay in the only home many of us have ever known. We will keep fighting for permanent protections and to stop the cruel separation of our families," said fellow Honduran TPS holder Teofilo Martinez.