A Biden-appointed federal judge has blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Ethiopian nationals.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued an order preventing the termination of TPS, which would have required over 5,000 individuals who entered the United States under Biden’s administration to leave the country.
In December, DHS under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced it would end TPS for Ethiopia on the grounds that conditions in the nation no longer posed a serious threat to returning citizens. The protections were set to expire on February 13.
The Biden administration first granted TPS to Ethiopians beginning in 2022, citing the need to protect citizens from armed conflict and humanitarian crises. The status was extended again in April 2024.
In his ruling, Judge Murphy stated that the Trump administration terminated the designation “without regard for the process delineated by Congress.” He emphasized: “Fundamental to this case — and indeed to our constitutional system — is the principle that the will of the President does not supersede that of Congress. Presidential whims do not and cannot supplant agencies’ statutory obligations.”
The Department of Homeland Security has previously asserted that TPS was never intended as a pathway to permanent residency.