U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued the order Friday, delaying a February 13 deadline that would have forced more than 5,000 Ethiopians to leave the country or face arrest.
The ruling represents the latest legal setback to the administration’s broader push to end temporary protections for more than one million people across multiple countries.
Court Demands Review of Government Decision
Murphy’s decision came during a virtual hearing, where he said the delay would provide time for the Department of Homeland Security to produce records explaining its decision-making process before he considers blocking the move for longer.
“I want to do everything I can to keep this case going,” the judge said.
The case was brought by three Ethiopian nationals and the advocacy group African Communities Together, who filed suit after DHS announced in December it was terminating the Temporary Protected Status first granted to Ethiopia in 2022.
The lawsuit argues the administration unlawfully ended the protections with just 60 days’ notice despite ongoing armed conflict in the African nation.
Allegations of Racial Discrimination
Plaintiffs also claim Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted based on an “unconstitutional animus against non-white immigrants.” Ethiopia’s population is predominantly Black.
The move came even as the State Department continues urging Americans to reconsider travel to Ethiopia due to “sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, crime, communications disruptions, terrorism and kidnapping.”
The DHS defended the termination by pointing to recent peace agreements, including a 2022 ceasefire in Tigray, despite renewed fighting in the region this month.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said TPS “was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades.”
Pattern of Legal Challenges
The ruling follows a similar decision a day earlier when a federal appeals court found the administration unlawfully ended protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.
That three-judge panel said Noem’s actions were based on “racist stereotyping” and left people “in a constant state of fear that they will be deported, detained, separated from their families.”
About a dozen countries now face TPS terminations as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Some 350,000 Haitians are set to lose protections on February 3, while Somalis face a March 17 deadline, despite the State Department maintaining a “Do Not Travel” warning for Somalia.
Murphy, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said he would schedule further arguments after the agency’s records are produced, which a government lawyer suggested could be done within weeks.
