BOSTON, Aug. 19 (Nationwide Times) — A federal judge in Boston has lifted the last court order blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopian nationals, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to move forward with the termination.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued the order Aug. 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The decision affects more than 5,000 Ethiopian nationals, Reuters reported, citing the litigation and government records.
The ruling does not itself order any individual to leave the United States. It removes a legal protection that had allowed eligible Ethiopian nationals to remain and work legally in the country while Ethiopia’s TPS designation was active.
What is Temporary Protected Status?
Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is an immigration program for nationals of countries where the government determines that conditions such as armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary circumstances make return unsafe or impractical.
A person with TPS may receive protection from removal and authorization to work in the United States for the period covered by the designation. TPS does not provide permanent residence or citizenship, and it does not prevent the government from ending a designation under federal immigration law.
The end of TPS removes that specific protection. The effect on an individual can depend on whether that person has another lawful immigration status or a separate application or case pending.
Why did the judge lift the block?
Then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced in December 2025 that the department had determined conditions in Ethiopia no longer justified the designation. DHS set Feb. 13, 2026, as the end date after a 60-day wind-down period.
Before that date, Murphy issued a temporary injunction blocking the termination. The case then went through additional court proceedings, including a July administrative stay that kept Ethiopian TPS in place while the judge considered constitutional claims.
On Aug. 18, Murphy lifted the remaining stay. The judge rejected arguments that DHS lacked authority to end the designation and that each TPS holder was entitled to an individual hearing before the nationwide designation could be terminated, according to descriptions of the ruling.
The full order and its docket number were not included in the available records. Those records also do not establish whether an appeal has been filed.
How did the Supreme Court affect the case?
Murphy’s decision followed a June 2026 Supreme Court ruling involving TPS protections for Haitian and Syrian nationals. The case was identified in court coverage as Mullin v. Doe.
The ruling was described as limiting the ability of lower courts to review DHS decisions ending TPS designations. Murphy had continued to consider issues that he understood were not resolved by the Supreme Court’s decision before lifting the stay in the Ethiopian case.
Because the Supreme Court ruling involved different nationalities, its application to Ethiopian TPS was part of the dispute before Murphy. The district judge ultimately allowed the termination to proceed.
What happens next?
DHS General Counsel James Percival said in a social-media post that Murphy had lifted the stay. DHS also said that all TPS terminations were in effect.
The ruling clears the legal obstacle to ending Ethiopia’s TPS designation. It does not provide a count of arrests, removal proceedings, or deportations, and the available records do not show that any particular Ethiopian national has been charged with a crime.
The litigation included African Communities Together, an organization that advocates for African immigrants and challenged the termination. The group’s arguments were rejected at this stage of the case, though the available records do not provide the full order or establish what further court action may follow.
