US Governments Deportation Protections for Ethiopians Blocked by Federal Judge

Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration’s Plan to Strip Deportation Protections from Ethiopians

A federal judge in Boston has issued an order halting a February 13 deadline that would have forced over 5,000 Ethiopians living in the United States to leave the country or face arrest. The ruling comes as part of a broader legal challenge to the Trump administration’s plan to end temporary protections for people from multiple countries.

Judge Brian Murphy made the decision during a virtual hearing, stating that the delay would provide time for the Department of Homeland Security to produce records explaining its decision-making process before he considers blocking the move for longer. The judge expressed his intention to continue the case, citing the need for further review.

The lawsuit, filed by three Ethiopian nationals and the advocacy group African Communities Together, argues that the administration unlawfully ended deportation protections with just 60 days’ notice despite ongoing armed conflict in Ethiopia. The plaintiffs also claim that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acted based on an “unconstitutional animus against non-white immigrants”.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the termination by pointing to recent peace agreements, including a 2022 ceasefire in Tigray, despite renewed fighting in the region this month. A spokesperson for DHS stated that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program.

This ruling follows a similar decision made by a federal appeals court earlier in the day, which found the administration unlawfully ended protections for 600,000 Venezuelans. The court ruled that Secretary Noem’s actions were based on “racist stereotyping” and left people in a constant state of fear.

As part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, several countries face TPS terminations, including Haiti, which is set to lose protections on February 3, and Somalia, which faces a March 17 deadline. The State Department has maintained a “Do Not Travel” warning for Somalia despite this.

Source: Al Jazeera