A federal judge has blocked the Trump Administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis, dealing a setback to the government's efforts to end the program. The move follows a previous decision by the same judge, who halted the termination in a previous ruling.
The termination was set to take effect on March 17, but the judge issued a new administrative stay after the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint and an emergency motion. The decision affects more than 100,000 Somalis living in the US, with an estimated 5,000 eligible for Temporary Protected Status.
The Justice Department has responded to the judge's order, with Homeland Security general counsel James Percival criticizing the decision. He called the move "defiance, obstruction, and delay," suggesting that the judge's actions are at odds with the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the matter.
Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration is allowed to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians. The high court's decision was a 6-3 vote, with the justices ruling that the Temporary Protected Status is indeed temporary.
However, a different judge has taken a different approach with regards to Ethiopia. US District Judge Brian Murphy indefinitely extended a block on the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopians, despite the Supreme Court's ruling. This decision has been met with criticism from the Justice Department, with General Counsel James Percival blasting the judge's move as a form of "mutiny" against the Supreme Court.
The Biden Administration had previously allowed more than 5,000 Ethiopians to enter the US and live here with special protections, and their TPS status was extended again in April 2024. However, the status expired on February 13, 2026, and the judge's decision has prevented the government from terminating it.
