Lawsuit Filed to Block End of Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopians in U.S.

Immigrant rights advocates have filed a federal lawsuit in Boston seeking to stop the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopian nationals living in the United States. The complaint, brought by three Ethiopian citizens and the non-profit African Communities Together, alleges that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unlawfully ended TPS protections, putting more than 5,000 people at risk of deportation after Feb. 13. TPS offers temporary protection from deportation and authorizes work for migrants from countries experiencing war, disaster, or humanitarian crises.

The lawsuit contends that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to end TPS for Ethiopia was based on unconstitutional bias against non-white immigrants and failed to properly consider ongoing unsafe conditions in parts of Ethiopia, particularly the continuing armed conflict in the Amhara region. Plaintiffs argue that terminating TPS with only 60 days’ notice violates federal law and ignores the humanitarian crisis that compelled earlier TPS designations under the Biden administration in 2022 and a 2024 extension.

The Trump administration defends its actions, saying TPS was never intended as a pathway to permanent residency and asserting that conditions in Ethiopia no longer justify the designation. This case represents the latest in a broader legal pushback against efforts to roll back TPS protections for migrants from countries including Haiti, Syria and others, as courts grapple with competing interpretations of immigration law and humanitarian obligations.

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