Federal Judge Allows End to Deportation Protections for Ethiopian Migrants

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration can end deportation protections for Ethiopian immigrants under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston lifted a temporary hold on the TPS program, which had allowed Ethiopian nationals to live and work legally in the U.S. due to unsafe conditions in their home country. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had determined that conditions in Ethiopia had improved, leading to the termination of TPS. This decision follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that permitted the termination of similar protections for individuals from Haiti and Syria. The DHS announced that all TPS terminations are now in effect and urged those affected to leave the U.S. immediately to avoid deportation. Judge Murphy's ruling also allowed a claim by plaintiffs alleging racial and national-origin discrimination to proceed, asserting that the government violated the Fifth Amendment Equal Protection Clause. TPS was established in 1990 to provide temporary work authorization and protection from deportation for noncitizens from countries experiencing armed conflict or natural disasters. Ethiopia was designated for TPS on December 12, 2022, but the designation was terminated last December, with an effective end date of February 13, 2026.