A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration can proceed with terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 5,000 Ethiopians living in the US, stripping them of humanitarian protections and work authorization. The Department of Homeland Security celebrated on X, posting that those affected are "in our nation ILLEGALLY" and have "two options: LEAVE IMMEDIATELY or be DEPORTED."

US District Judge Brian Murphy's decision follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that upheld the termination of similar protections for Haitians and Syrians. President Donald Trump, in his ongoing immigration crackdown, has sought to end TPS for nationals from over a dozen countries. Ethiopia was the final country on that list, and Murphy's ruling lifts a temporary stay that had blocked the termination. DHS General Counsel James Percival triumphantly declared on X: "All TPS terminations are in effect!"

Ethiopian nationals who sued to preserve TPS, along with advocacy group African Communities Together, expressed dismay. Diana Konaté, the group's deputy executive director of policy and advocacy, told Reuters: "The crisis in Ethiopia is still ongoing, and this decision puts the lives of thousands of Ethiopians living in the US at severe risk." Murphy dismissed some claims in the lawsuit but allowed plaintiffs to continue litigating whether the cancellation was motivated by racial or national origin animus, which would violate the US Constitution.

Ethiopia was originally designated for TPS by the Biden administration in 2022 following armed conflict, including the Tigray war. Millions in Tigray live with growing fears of a wider conflict, nearly four years after the end of a devastating two-year war that killed hundreds of thousands. Fighting and drone strikes have been reported in parts of Tigray in recent weeks. Tensions have escalated as both the federal government and Tigrayan leaders accuse each other of violating the 2022 Pretoria Agreement that ended the civil war. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has moved to restore the prewar regional government, while the federal government accuses Tigrayan leaders of cooperating with Eritrea and the Sudanese military. The renewed confrontation raises concerns that Eritrea could become involved, potentially leading to wider regional unrest. Ethiopia also continues to grapple with armed insurgencies in Oromia and Amhara.

DHS first announced it was ending TPS for Ethiopians in December under then-Secretary Kristi Noem, claiming conditions in Ethiopia were safe. It had already ended TPS for several South and Central American countries, including Venezuela and Honduras. Because nothing says 'safe' like drone strikes and a fragile peace agreement.