US judge allows revocation of TPS for Ethiopians

A federal judge in the United States has cleared the way for the revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopian citizens, rejecting a bid by the organization African Communities Together to halt the program's termination. The Department of Homeland Security had announced the cancellation of TPS for Ethiopia in December of the previous year, with the termination slated for February 13, 2026.

In January, Judge Brian Murphy of the federal court for the District of Massachusetts had initially suspended the DHS decision following the legal challenge. However, on Tuesday, Murphy lifted that suspension, dismissing the organization's arguments that the DHS acted illegally. African Communities Together contended that Ethiopia remains in a humanitarian crisis due to a conflict that began in late 2020, making deportation unsafe for its citizens.

The organization's legal representatives argued that ending TPS violates U.S. constitutional due process rights. They also claimed that the former Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, lacked the authority to revoke the program, asserting that this power belonged to the attorney general.

The TPS program provides a migratory benefit allowing individuals from countries experiencing extreme situations, such as war or natural disasters, to live, travel, and work in the U.S. without fear of deportation. This ruling follows a trend where the U.S. Supreme Court previously allowed the Trump administration to end TPS for Haitians, impacting other nationalities like those from Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Burma.