Federal Judge Blocks Trump Move to End TPS for Ethiopians in U.S.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts has postponed the Trump administration’s planned February 13 termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopians, ruling that DHS tried to end the program 'without regard for the process delineated by Congress.' In a sharply worded order, Murphy said 'the will of the President does not supersede that of Congress' and that 'presidential whims' cannot replace agencies’ statutory duties, finding the government had disregarded both that principle and the TPS statute in its December decision that Ethiopia 'no longer met the conditions' for protection. TPS for Ethiopia was first designated under the Biden administration in 2022 and extended in 2024, allowing thousands of Ethiopians to live and work in the U.S. legally due to armed conflict and other emergencies in their home country. The ruling is the latest legal setback for Trump’s broader effort to strip TPS from nationals of 13 countries as part of a wider immigration crackdown, even as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments later this month on TPS terminations for Syrians and Haitians. Immigrant‑rights advocates are highlighting Murphy’s language online as a rare, direct judicial rebuke of presidential overreach on immigration, while DHS has not yet commented.
📌 Key Facts
- Judge: U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy of Massachusetts postponed DHS’s termination of TPS for Ethiopians.
- DHS had announced in December that Ethiopia no longer met TPS conditions and that protections would end on February 13.
- Murphy’s order says the Trump administration ended the designation 'without regard for the process delineated by Congress' and that 'presidential whims do not and cannot supplant agencies' statutory obligations.
- TPS for Ethiopians was first designated in 2022 under Biden and extended in 2024, covering thousands of immigrants living and working in the U.S.
- The decision comes as the Trump administration seeks to terminate TPS for 13 countries and ahead of Supreme Court arguments on TPS for Syrian and Haitian nationals.
📊 Relevant Data
As of December 2025, there were approximately 5,001 approved beneficiaries under the Temporary Protected Status designation for Ethiopia in the United States.
Termination of the Designation of Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status — Federal Register
As of 2022, there were over 356,000 people in the United States who were immigrants born in Ethiopia or born in the United States to at least one Ethiopian immigrant parent.
Ethiopian immigrants — EBSCO Research Starters
The primary causes of recent Ethiopian migration to the United States in the 2020s include ongoing armed conflict, such as the Tigray War starting in 2020, and lack of decent livelihood and employment opportunities in Ethiopia.
Addressing the Root causes of Migration in Ethiopia — International Labour Organization
Ethiopian immigrants in the United States have a per capita income of $45,923, which ranks higher than many other demographic groups.
Immigrants from Ethiopia in the United States in 2026 — ZipAtlas
In 2026, states with significant Ethiopian populations include Minnesota with 26,926 Ethiopians (0.47% of state population), Washington with 25,937 (0.33%), and California with 36,527 (0.09%).
Ethiopian Population by State 2026 — World Population Review
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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