US judge says government can revoke deportation protections for Ethiopians

What the report says

A US federal judge has cleared the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopians, removing a final court obstacle to the planned termination. Al Jazeera, citing its staff and Reuters, reported that US District Judge Brian Murphy on Tuesday allowed the government to revoke the protections that have shielded more than 5,000 Ethiopians in the United States from deportation and given them permission to work.

TPS is a legal designation for people from countries the US has deemed unsafe because of conflict, disaster or other instability. Ethiopians received that status in 2022 under the Biden administration amid violence and humanitarian concerns in Ethiopia. The Department of Homeland Security had announced in December that it intended to end the protections, arguing that conditions no longer met the standard for the program. Rights groups, however, say the situation in Ethiopia remains dangerous.

The ruling comes after a June US Supreme Court decision that narrowed judicial review of TPS termination efforts, affecting related cases involving other nationalities. The Trump administration has tried to unwind TPS for multiple groups since returning to office in 2025, and DHS has said terminations are now in effect. Al Jazeera also noted that the decision could still face appeal, including arguments that the move was driven by bias against certain nationalities. The case matters because it could affect many people with work authorization and deportation protection in the US, and it reflects a broader push by the administration to reduce immigration protections.