A federal court has halted the Trump administration’s move to eliminate immigration protections for more than 5,000 Ethiopian nationals, preventing their potential deportation and preserving their ability to remain and work in America.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration ended the Temporary Protected Status program for Ethiopians while ignoring proper procedures established by Congress.
The ruling adds to mounting legal challenges as hundreds of thousands of protected immigrants from various nations fight the cancellation of their status in federal courtrooms nationwide. This marks another judicial obstacle to Trump’s efforts to eliminate TPS programs as part of his strict immigration policies.
During the Biden presidency, over 1 million immigrants from 17 nations received TPS protection. However, the Department of Homeland Security has revoked protections for 13 of those countries since Trump began his second term in January 2025.
Venezuelan nationals represented the biggest group of beneficiaries, with Haitians and Salvadorans following in size.
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider arguments on April 29 regarding the administration’s attempts to end TPS for 6,100 Syrian nationals and 350,000 Haitian immigrants.
Congress established TPS in 1990 to halt deportations to nations experiencing natural disasters or civil conflict, providing work authorization in periods lasting up to 18 months.
The Biden administration provided TPS to Ethiopians in the U.S. during 2022, citing the necessity to shield them from armed violence and humanitarian crisis. Officials extended the protection in April 2024.
The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security cancelled Ethiopia’s TPS designation in December 2025, claiming the nation no longer qualified for the protection.
Judge Murphy determined that DHS ignored the legal procedures Congress created to govern TPS decisions.
“Fundamental to this case — and indeed to our constitutional system — is the principle that the will of the President does not supersede that of Congress,” Murphy, who was appointed by Biden, said in his decision. “Presidential whims do not and cannot supplant agencies’ statutory obligations.”
Following Murphy’s ruling, DHS emphasized that TPS remains a temporary program.
DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis said the ruling “is just the latest example of judicial activists trying to prevent President Trump from restoring integrity to America’s legal immigration system.”
