A US federal judge has allowed the Trump administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 5,000 Ethiopians, removing the final judicial block that had prevented the government from ending the protection.
TPS allows eligible foreign nationals to remain in the United States and apply for work authorisation when conditions in their home country may make return unsafe. The ruling means the administration’s Ethiopia TPS termination can take effect, although an appeal based on alleged racial or national animus remains possible.
What the ruling decided
US District Judge Brian Murphy dismissed an argument that the attorney general, rather than the Department of Homeland Security, had the authority to end TPS before its expiry. He had previously paused the administration’s effort while considering issues left open by a June Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision limited the ability of courts to review Homeland Security decisions terminating TPS. Although that case involved recipients from Syria and Haiti, it also affected challenges brought by people of other nationalities.
Why Ethiopia’s status is disputed
Ethiopians first received TPS under President Joe Biden’s administration in 2022 because of violent conflict and humanitarian concerns in Ethiopia. The Department of Homeland Security later said conditions no longer posed a serious threat to returning Ethiopian nationals.
Critics dispute that assessment. The US State Department currently lists Ethiopia under a level-three travel advisory, citing unrest, crime, kidnapping, terrorism and landmines. Diana Konate of African Communities Together said the crisis remained ongoing and that the decision put thousands of Ethiopians at severe risk.
Part of a broader TPS rollback
The administration has sought to terminate TPS for at least 13 of the 17 nationalities covered by the system. About 1.29 million people were living in the United States under TPS protection as of March, while the Pew Research Center estimated that revocations would affect at least one million participants this year.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said people whose status had been terminated should leave or face deportation. The latest ruling does not close the possibility of an appeal alleging that the Ethiopia decision was motivated by animus against particular races or nationalities.
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