The ruling marks a legal setback for the administration’s efforts to roll back protections for various immigrant groups.
Published April 9, 2026
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from revoking legal protections for about 5,000 Ethiopians who are allowed to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation.
District Judge Brian Murphy issued the ruling Thursday, marking the latest setback in the administration’s efforts to remove legal immigration status for people primarily from non-Western countries.
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Murphy also addressed Congress’ role in setting standards for how Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is granted and revoked. Trump ignored those procedures, the judge said.
“Fundamental to this case, and indeed to our constitutional system, is the principle that the will of the President does not supersede the will of Congress,” Murphy wrote. “The president’s whims do not and cannot replace the legal obligations of government agencies.”
The Trump administration is revoking the TPS designation of 13 countries as part of an effort to limit immigration to the United States and expel certain groups already living in the country.
TPS gives eligible aliens in the United States the right to stay and work in the country if their home is deemed temporarily unsafe due to conflict, natural disasters, or other “extraordinary” circumstances.
In his decision, Murphy cited an executive order signed by President Trump in January 2025 directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to consider whether the TPS designation is “appropriately limited in scope.”
He said the order gave DHS a “pretext” basis to circumvent normal procedures and eliminate the TPS designation.
According to Murphy, this sent a signal that “the outcome of designation, extension, and termination decisions will be predetermined rather than based on meaningful consideration of domestic conditions.”
A DHS spokesperson said in response to Thursday’s ruling that this is “just the latest example of judicial activists seeking to block President Trump’s efforts to restore the integrity of America’s legal immigration system.”
Ethiopians were first granted TPS in 2022 under the administration of President Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, citing armed conflict and humanitarian suffering. Their protected status has been extended to April 2024.
