US Judge Allows Trump to Revoke TPS for 5,000+ Ethiopians
Key Points
- US District Judge Brian Murphy ruled on August 18, 2026 that the Trump administration can terminate Temporary Protected Status for more than 5,000 Ethiopians.
- The US Supreme Court's June 6-3 ruling limited judicial review of TPS terminations, removing the final legal block preventing Ethiopia revocations.
- Roughly 1.29 million people were living under TPS protections as of March across 17 countries, with the Trump administration targeting at least 13 nationalities.
The ruling expands the Trump administration's broader immigration crackdown since returning to office in 2025. Since then, the administration has sought to terminate TPS protections for at least 13 nationalities, including people from Venezuela, Nicaragua, South Sudan and Somalia. Roughly 1.29 million people were living in the United States under TPS protections as of March 2026, representing 17 countries where the US government had deemed conditions unsafe or unstable. The Pew Research Center estimates that TPS revocations will affect at least one million people who were participating in the program as of 2026.
Ethiopians were first granted TPS under former President Joe Biden's administration in 2022 due to concerns about violent conflict and humanitarian issues in the country. The US State Department currently lists Ethiopia under a level-three travel advisory on its four-point scale, advising citizens not to travel there due to "unrest, crime, kidnapping, terrorism [and] landmines." The Department of Homeland Security announced in December that it would end TPS protections for Ethiopians, asserting that conditions in the country "no longer pose a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals."
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The Trump administration has argued that repeated extensions to the TPS program have rendered it less a temporary program and more a long-term one. Rights groups have countered that the administration's decision does not reflect current conditions in Ethiopia, where civil conflict and humanitarian concerns continue to present dangers to returning nationals.
Why this matters: The ruling eliminates the last remaining judicial obstacle to mass TPS terminations across multiple nationalities, enabling the administration to proceed with revocations affecting over one million people without further court delays. This expands the scope of potential deportations as part of the administration's stated immigration enforcement agenda.
Related coverage: UK Prime Minister Burnham Backs Ukraine 100% After Russia Drone Warning
What Happens Next
The Trump administration will likely proceed with terminating TPS for the remaining 12 nationalities it has targeted, with the earliest deportations potentially beginning within months. Rights groups may file additional legal challenges based on humanitarian grounds, though the June Supreme Court ruling significantly narrows their ability to secure court injunctions. Congress could consider legislation to protect specific TPS populations, though Republican control of both chambers makes passage unlikely.
Sources: Al Jazeera and other international news outlets.
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