A United States federal judge has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump can revoke legal protections shielding more than 5,000 Ethiopians from deportation. US District Judge Brian Murphy on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for the termination of the group’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation that allows foreign nationals in the US to stay and apply for work authorization.

This ruling removes the final judicial obstacle that had prevented the government from ending TPS for individual countries. The Trump administration has sought to end TPS protections for a range of nationalities since President Trump returned to office for a second term in 2025, arguing that repeated extensions had made the program less temporary.

Administration officials celebrated the decision. Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival stated on social media that "All TPS terminations are in effect!" The ruling follows a June Supreme Court decision that limited judicial review of Homeland Security's efforts to terminate TPS protections, a decision that had broader implications beyond the specific cases of Syria and Haiti.

The decision means that TPS protections for Ethiopians can now be officially revoked, potentially leading to their deportation if they do not find another legal status in the US. The broader implications suggest that similar efforts to terminate TPS for other nationalities may proceed without further judicial delay.

Roughly 1.29 million people were living in the US under TPS from 17 countries where conditions were deemed unsafe as of March. The Pew Research Center estimates that the revocations will affect at least one million people currently in the program.

The Trump administration has actively sought to terminate TPS for at least 13 nationalities, including those from Venezuela, Nicaragua, South Sudan, and Somalia, as part of a broader effort to restrict immigration and increase deportations.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin emphasized the temporary nature of the status, writing, "Temporary Protected Status is just that — TEMPORARY." The administration's stance is that the program was intended for short-term displacement, not long-term residency.

This development leaves thousands of Ethiopians in the US facing uncertainty about their future legal status and potential removal, with the government asserting its authority to end the protections previously granted under TPS.