A federal judge let the Trump administration end Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia, Reuters and Bloomberg Law reported. The change affects more than 5,000 people who used TPS for protection from removal and permission to work.
What the judge decided
Reuters reported that Judge Brian E. Murphy removed the last court block on August 18, 2026. He denied a renewed request to delay the end of the program while the case continues.
Bloomberg Law also reported that the ruling allowed the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to take effect.
The ruling is temporary and does not end African Communities Together v. Mullin. The plaintiffs may still pursue their claim that bias based on race or national origin shaped the decision, Reuters reported.
That claim is an allegation, not a court finding. The plaintiffs must still prove it as the case moves forward.
What TPS does
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a federal program for eligible people from certain countries. The government may offer it when war, disaster or other serious conditions make a safe return difficult.
While TPS is active, eligible people may stay in the United States. They also receive protection from removal and may get permission to work.
TPS does not give someone permanent residence or another lasting immigration status. The Federal Register notice says a person may have a separate legal status that continues after TPS ends.
The result will therefore depend on each person’s situation. The ruling does not order the immediate deportation of every Ethiopian immigrant.
Why DHS ended TPS
DHS announced the end of Ethiopia’s TPS designation in December 2025. The department said it reviewed conditions in Ethiopia and consulted other federal agencies.
DHS concluded that Ethiopia no longer met the legal requirements for TPS. It noted that violence and other problems continued, but said conditions had improved.
That is the government’s position in the case.
What the challengers say
African Communities Together and three Ethiopian TPS holders sued DHS, USCIS and the United States. They said officials ignored evidence of ongoing danger and did not follow a lawful process.
They also said racial, ethnic or national-origin bias influenced the decision. The government opposed keeping the temporary protections in place.
No final ruling has proved the discrimination claims.
How the case got here
Murphy first delayed the end of TPS in April 2026 while the lawsuit continued. The government appealed that temporary order.
On July 29, the First Circuit reversed the delay after applying a new Supreme Court decision. The appeals court said the TPS law blocked the nonconstitutional claims behind the earlier order.
It sent the case back to the district court for more proceedings. It did not decide the remaining constitutional claim.
What comes next
The district court case continues on the plaintiffs’ constitutional claim. The August 18 ruling lets the TPS decision take effect, but it does not decide whether discrimination shaped that decision.
Sources
- Reuters: US judge allows Trump to end thousands of Ethiopians’ deportation protections
- Bloomberg Law: Judge Allows TPS for Ethiopians to End as Challenge Moves Ahead
- First Circuit judgment in African Communities Together v. Mullin
- Federal Register: Termination of the Designation of Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status
- District court’s April 2026 memorandum and order
- Complaint in African Communities Together v. Noem
