A federal judge has decided the Trump administration can go ahead with cancelling Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which provides humanitarian protections to immigrants, for roughly 5,000 Ethiopians living in the US. US District Judge Brian Murphy’s decision came after the Supreme Court in June ended similar protections for thousands from Haiti and Syria. If you represent affected TPS holders or work with Ethiopian nationals, you need to act immediately on options to preserve their status.
What changed
A federal judge allowed the Trump administration to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 5,000 Ethiopians living in the US. The homeland security department posted on X after the ruling: “Those with terminated TPS are in our nation ILLEGALLY. They have two options: LEAVE IMMEDIATELY or be DEPORTED.” U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston lifted the last judicial block on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security terminating the Temporary Protected Status designation for individual countries after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration in June to end similar protections for thousands of people from Haiti and Syria.
The Supreme Court’s ruling, backed by its 6-3 conservative majority, curtailed the ability of judges to review DHS efforts under Trump to end TPS designations for 13 countries that provided humanitarian immigration protection to eligible migrants from those nations.
Why it matters
For practitioners, this ruling eliminates work authorization and removal protection for a known class of beneficiaries. TPS under federal law is available to people whose home countries have experienced natural disasters, armed conflicts or other extraordinary events. It provides eligible migrants with work authorization and temporary protection from deportation. When TPS terminates, so does employment authorization—meaning your clients must immediately apply for alternative status or prepare for removal proceedings.
Armed conflict broke out in Ethiopia’s Tigray state and later spread to other regions in the country. The African Union has estimated that that conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people. The Biden administration in 2022 granted certain citizens of Ethiopia who recently arrived to the US an 18-month temporary protection from deportation. Those protections were again extended in 2024 by then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas because of the ongoing conflict. Advocacy groups have signaled they will continue pressing legal challenges on other grounds.
Way forward
-
Audit your client roster immediately. Identify any clients with TPS status for Ethiopia and gather their I-539 extensions, employment authorization documents, and I-94 records. Document their arrival date and current immigration status.
-
Discuss alternative bases for stay. Explore whether affected clients may be eligible for asylum, cancellation of removal, U or T visa status, or other humanitarian protection. Consult country conditions reporting to support any claims.
-
File or renew employment authorization now. If your client has another pending petition (I-485, I-130, I-140, etc.), ensure employment authorization derivative applications are filed before TPS terminates and work permits expire.
-
Prepare clients for voluntary departure. Advise clients that accepting voluntary departure with DHS may preserve future eligibility to return, whereas a final removal order can bar reentry for years or permanently.
Disclaimer
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. articles.folaform.com is a software and publishing company, not a law firm. Immigration law is complex and fact-specific; outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Consult a licensed immigration attorney to discuss your situation and verify all information against the primary sources linked above. TPS policy and litigation can change without notice; always confirm current status by checking the latest DHS and EOIR guidance.