Trump administration can target Ethiopians for deportation

A federal judge has decided the Trump administration can go ahead with cancelling Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which provides humanitarian protections to immigrants, for roughly 5,000 Ethiopians living in the US.

"Those with terminated TPS are in our nation ILLEGALLY," the homeland security department posted on X after the ruling. "They have two options: LEAVE IMMEDIATELY or be DEPORTED."

US District Judge Brian Murphy's decision came after the Supreme Court in June ended similar protections for thousands from Haiti and Syria.

As part of his larger immigration crackdown, President Donald Trump has sought to cancel the protections for people from more than a dozen countries.

Murphy's ruling lifted a temporary stay that had blocked the administration from ending TPS for Ethiopians.

Ethiopia marks the final country where the Trump administration has terminated TPS - protections for people who fled their home countries due to extraordinary events, including natural disasters and armed conflict. The status grants those who are ​eligible temporary work authorisations and protection from deportation.

The Department of Homeland Security's general counsel, James Percival, celebrated the decision on X, posting: "All TPS terminations are in effect!"

Ethiopian nationals who had sued to preserve TPS and the advocacy group African Communities Together expressed disappointment, saying the ruling created fresh dangers.