Federal Judge Allows Termination of TPS for Ethiopian Immigrants

A federal judge has enabled the Trump administration to terminate deportation protections for Ethiopian immigrants. This decision allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to proceed with all pending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) terminations for several countries.

Judge Brian Murphy in Boston removed the temporary block on the TPS program. This program had permitted Ethiopian nationals to live and work in the U.S. legally due to unsafe conditions in Ethiopia. The DHS previously assessed that conditions in Ethiopia had improved, no longer requiring TPS.

This ruling removes the last legal challenge faced by DHS following the U.S. Supreme Court’s earlier decision allowing similar terminations for people from Haiti and Syria. The DHS has announced, “ALL TPS terminations are now IN EFFECT.” They urged those with terminated TPS to leave the U.S. immediately, warning that deportation would follow if they did not.

Ethiopian nationals under the TPS program may now face deportation following the court’s decision.

This decision was part of a divided ruling by Judge Murphy, who had earlier issued an administrative stay in the case African Communities Together v. Markwayne Mullin. The plaintiffs argued that the TPS termination was motivated by racial and national-origin discrimination.

Murphy concluded that DHS has the authority to end TPS designations without providing individual hearings before terminating the national program. Nevertheless, Murphy permitted the main claim of racial discrimination to proceed, acknowledging that the plaintiffs had offered a plausible argument that the government had violated the Fifth Amendment Equal Protection Clause by ending protections discriminatorily.

The TPS program, initiated by Congress in 1990, offers temporary work permits and deportation protection to noncitizens from countries disrupted by armed conflicts, natural calamities, or severe conditions.

Initially designated TPS on December 12, 2022, due to armed conflict and climatic events, Ethiopia’s program was set to end on February 13, 2026. Nonetheless, legal challenges postponed the end date, but the recent ruling has lifted those suspensions.

Bonny Chu reports for Fox News Digital on breaking and trending news.