US Court Allows Ending of Deportation Protections for Ethiopian Nationals
Boston, 19 August 2026
A US federal judge has cleared the Trump administration to end temporary protected status for Ethiopian nationals, leaving thousands facing immediate deportation if they do not depart.
Judicial Decision and Legal Framework
On Tuesday, 11 August 2026, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston lifted the administrative stay that had previously blocked the termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programme for Ethiopian nationals [1][3]. This decision, delivered in the case African Communities Together v. Markwayne Mullin, establishes that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) possesses the authority to end TPS designations without providing individual hearings for affected persons [3]. Although the judge cleared the way for the administration to enforce the termination, he allowed the plaintiffs’ primary claim—which alleges that the government’s decision violated the Fifth Amendment Equal Protection Clause due to discrimination—to proceed in court [3].
The Origins of temporary protection
The TPS programme, originally established by Congress under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act and further structured in 1990, provides temporary work authorisation and protection from deportation to foreign nationals who cannot safely return to their home countries due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions [1][3][7]. Ethiopia was initially designated for the programme on 12 December 2022 following severe climatic shocks and violent conflict within the nation [3]. This designation allowed thousands of Ethiopians residing in the United States to secure legal status and work permits during a period of intense domestic instability [2].
Shifting Policies and Broad Immigration Crackdown
This latest judicial green light is a key component of a wider immigration crackdown by the Trump administration [1][5]. The ruling follows other recent court orders allowing the administration to end protections for TPS holders from several other countries, including Haiti, Somalia, Syria, and Myanmar [1]. In total, the administration has moved to terminate the temporary protected status of citizens from four African nations—Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Cameroon—under the rationale that conditions in these home countries have sufficiently improved to allow for safe repatriation [2][3].
Supreme Court Precedent and Enforcement
The legal foundation for these terminations was significantly strengthened in June 2026, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal administration holds the legal authority to cancel TPS protections for nationals from Haiti and Syria [1][3][6]. Following Judge Murphy’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security issued a direct statement on the social media platform X, declaring that all TPS terminations are now in effect and warning that those affected must leave the United States immediately or face deportation [1][3]. As of Wednesday, 19 August 2026, these individuals remain subject to immediate deportation enforcement [3].
Human Impact and Ongoing Legal Battles
The termination of these protections places thousands of Ethiopian migrants in an incredibly precarious position [1][2]. The advocacy group African Communities Together, which initiated the legal challenge in January, has argued that Ethiopia remains in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis [1]. In its original complaint, the group emphasised that if the protections are fully dismantled, affected individuals will face the impossible choice of uprooting their lives to seek safety in a third country, remaining in the United States without legal status at risk of imminent detention, or returning to a homeland that is still suffering from violent conflict [1]. While the constitutional challenge regarding discrimination continues to move through the court, affected families must now navigate a rapidly changing and hostile legal landscape [1][3].