Judge Burroughs blocks Somalia TPS end over Fifth Amendment claims

Key Points:

• A Massachusetts federal judge, Allison Burroughs, issued an administrative stay blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, following an amended lawsuit alleging constitutional violations.
• The plaintiffs argue the administration violated the Fifth Amendment by terminating Somalia's TPS based on racial and national-origin discrimination, citing President Trump's prior statements and an early announcement ending TPS before DHS completed its review.
• The ruling contrasts with recent decisions by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned similar stays for Ethiopia and South Sudan TPS terminations based on the Supreme Court's Mullin v. Doe decision limiting lower courts' ability to block TPS terminations on non-constitutional grounds.
• DHS and legal experts criticized Burroughs' order as judicial obstruction and legally unfounded, asserting that most claims are foreclosed by Supreme Court precedent and describing the emergency relief as unjustified.
• The case highlights ongoing tensions between district courts and higher courts regarding TPS termination litigation, with Burroughs continuing to preside over the Somalia TPS case since early 2023.