A Biden-appointed federal judge has halted the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Ethiopian immigrants. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued an order preventing DHS from allowing the program to expire, which would have forced over 5,000 Ethiopians already in the United States to leave the country.

The DHS announced in December that it would terminate TPS for Ethiopia under former Secretary Kristi Noem’s administration, asserting that conditions in the nation no longer posed a serious threat to returning citizens. This decision was part of a directive from President Trump requiring the status to expire on February 13.

Under the Biden administration, Ethiopian immigrants were granted TPS beginning in 2022 due to ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian crises in their home country. The program was extended again in April 2024. Judge Murphy ruled that the Trump administration’s action violated congressional processes, stating that presidential authority cannot override statutory obligations established by law. He emphasized that the will of Congress remains paramount in such matters.