On April 8, 2026, a federal judge in Boston delivered a major blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the United States’ immigration landscape, blocking the government’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 5,000 Ethiopians living and working in the country. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, underscored a fundamental tension at the heart of American governance: the balance between presidential authority and congressional mandates.
TPS is a program established by Congress in 1990 to provide a legal haven for foreign nationals whose home countries are experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions that make safe return impossible. For those granted TPS, deportation is suspended and work authorization is allowed—lifelines that have enabled thousands of Ethiopians to build lives in the United States as their homeland has been gripped by turmoil and tragedy.
According to Reuters, Judge Murphy found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under the direction of then-Secretary Kristi Noem, had not followed the statutory procedures set by Congress when it announced in December 2025 that TPS for Ethiopia would end. The judge described the administration’s justification as “pretextual,” suggesting that it was a mere formality masking a predetermined outcome. Murphy pointed to a January 2025 executive order from President Trump, which instructed DHS to limit TPS designations and, in his view, signaled that decisions on extension or termination would be made without genuine consideration of on-the-ground realities in Ethiopia.
“Fundamental to this case—and indeed to our constitutional system—is the principle that the will of the President does not supersede that of Congress. Presidential whims do not and cannot supplant agencies’ statutory obligations,” Murphy wrote in his memorandum, as reported by Nexstar Media Inc. and Fox News Digital. He further stressed that the Constitution requires the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,” meaning that executive agencies must operate within the boundaries set by Congress, not outside them.
The Biden administration had first designated Ethiopia for TPS in 2022, a move prompted by severe fighting in the country’s Tigray region and an ongoing humanitarian crisis. The designation was extended in April 2024 as conditions failed to improve. Yet, in December 2025, DHS under the Trump administration argued that Ethiopia “no longer met the conditions” necessary for TPS, contending that the situation had stabilized enough to safely return nationals. This was part of a broader Trump administration strategy to terminate TPS for as many as 13 countries, with officials arguing that “temporary means temporary.”
The lawsuit challenging the termination was brought by three Ethiopian nationals and the advocacy organization African Communities Together. They argued that DHS had ignored persistent dangers in multiple regions of Ethiopia, including ongoing armed conflict and natural disasters, and had failed to consult with the proper agencies as required by law. The plaintiffs also alleged that the administration’s stated rationale was not genuine and was influenced by bias against non-white immigrants, since Ethiopia’s population is predominantly Black.
Judge Murphy sided with the plaintiffs, finding that DHS had failed to adhere to the process delineated by Congress and that the justification for ending TPS was not supported by the evidence. “Perhaps it has been a banner year for disaster recovery and geopolitical stability worldwide. The evidence, and common sense, suggests otherwise,” Murphy wrote, highlighting the ongoing risks for Ethiopians if forced to return.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital and CBS News, a DHS spokesperson condemned the ruling, describing Judge Murphy as a “radical, Biden-appointed” judge and calling the decision “just the latest example of judicial activists trying to prevent President Trump from restoring integrity to America’s legal immigration system.” The spokesperson reiterated the administration’s argument: “Temporary means temporary. Country conditions—including armed conflicts—in Ethiopia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status. The Trump administration is putting Americans first.”
African Communities Together celebrated the ruling, but their executive director, Amaha Kassa, struck a note of caution about the road ahead. “We are celebrating alongside over 5,000 of our neighbors who can finally exhale and get back to their lives. This is not the end of our fight. It is just the beginning of a relentless struggle to save TPS, to protect millions of immigrants, and restore justice in our immigration system,” Kassa said, according to Nexstar Media Inc.
The ruling comes at a pivotal moment in the national debate over immigration. The Trump administration’s broader crackdown on TPS has included efforts to terminate protections for Haitians and Syrians, with the fate of more than 350,000 people hanging in the balance. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments later in April on whether the administration has the authority to revoke TPS for these groups—a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for the future of the program and the lives it touches.
Judge Murphy’s decision is not the final word. It blocks the termination of TPS for Ethiopians while the legal challenge proceeds, but the underlying question—whether the executive branch can unilaterally end such protections—remains unresolved. The administration has argued in court that its decisions are unreviewable and that federal judges lack authority to intervene, a position Murphy flatly rejected. “Agencies granted executive authority by Congress may operate only within the bounds Congress has set. Yet, in this case, Defendants have disregarded both that foundational principle and the statutory scheme enacted by Congress,” he wrote.
For now, the more than 5,000 Ethiopians who rely on TPS can breathe a sigh of relief, at least temporarily. The case has highlighted the precariousness of their status—and the broader uncertainties facing immigrants whose futures are tied to shifting political winds and the interplay of executive and legislative power. As the country awaits the Supreme Court’s ruling, the fate of TPS recipients from Ethiopia and beyond remains a subject of fierce legal and political contestation.
In this latest chapter of the nation’s ongoing immigration debate, one thing is clear: the question of who gets to decide the fate of thousands—Congress, the President, or the courts—remains as contentious, and consequential, as ever.