A federal judge has given the Trump administration the green light to end deportation protections for Ethiopian immigrants. This decision puts into effect all Temporary Protected Status (TPS) terminations pursued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for select countries.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston lifted a temporary hold on the TPS program. This program had enabled Ethiopian nationals to reside and work legally in the U.S. due to unsafe conditions in their home country. The DHS declared last year that Ethiopia no longer met TPS requirements because conditions had improved.
With this decision, the last legal barrier for DHS has been removed. This follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June, which allowed the administration to end similar protections for individuals from Haiti and Syria.
“All TPS terminations are now in effect,” the DHS announced. “Those with terminated TPS should leave now. If they don’t, we will deport them.”
Earlier, Judge Murphy gave a split ruling regarding the termination of deportation protections. This came in the civil case African Communities Together v. Markwayne Mullin. Plaintiffs argued that DHS had terminated protections due to racial and national-origin discrimination.
Murphy determined that DHS has the authority to end TPS designations. He ruled that individuals were not entitled to personal hearings before the program’s termination nationwide. However, Murphy allowed the primary claim to proceed, noting that plaintiffs had a plausible argument regarding discrimination, potentially violating the Fifth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
TPS, a humanitarian measure established in 1990 by Congress, grants temporary work authorization and deportation protection to noncitizens. This applies when their home countries are deemed unsafe due to conflicts, natural disasters, or extraordinary conditions.
Ethiopia’s TPS designation originated on December 12, 2022, amid ongoing conflicts and severe climatic conditions. The Secretary of Homeland Security had terminated Ethiopia’s TPS on December 2022, setting the effective end date for February 13, 2026. The termination prompted immediate legal challenges, resulting in temporary court-ordered pauses now ended by Murphy’s ruling.