US Judge Ends Deportation Protection For Ethiopians

A US federal judge in Boston has authorised the Trump administration to end deportation protections for about 5,000 Ethiopian nationals, paving the way for the termination of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Judge Brian Murphy lifted a previous stay that had blocked the administration from ending the protection, allowing the termination to take effect.

US Department of Homeland Security officials welcomed the ruling. DHS General Counsel James Percival said on X that the stay had been lifted and that all TPS terminations were now in effect.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin also warned Ethiopians affected by the decision that they would need to leave the United States or face deportation once their legal status expires.

The decision follows a determination by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that Ethiopia no longer met the conditions required for TPS protection. Her decision had been scheduled to take effect on February 13, 2026, but was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Massachusetts on January 30.

TPS allows nationals of countries facing conditions such as armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary circumstances to remain temporarily in the United States and receive protection from deportation.

The ruling comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to end TPS protections for nationals of several countries.

In June, the US Supreme Court allowed the administration to terminate similar protections for thousands of people from Haiti, Syria, South Sudan, and Somalia.

SOURCE: AA