Trump administration can begin targeting Ethiopians for deportation

Key Points:

• A federal judge has allowed the Trump administration to proceed with cancelling Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for about 5,000 Ethiopians in the US, a move that could lead to their deportation unless they leave voluntarily.
• TPS provides temporary work authorization and protection from deportation for immigrants fleeing extraordinary events like conflict or natural disasters; Ethiopia was the last country targeted in the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown on TPS designations.
• Advocates warn that cancelling TPS puts Ethiopian immigrants at severe risk amid ongoing conflict and instability in Ethiopia, particularly in the Tigray region where violence and political tensions persist.
• The judge dismissed some legal claims but allowed plaintiffs to continue challenging whether the TPS cancellation was motivated by racial or national origin bias, which could violate constitutional protections.
• Ethiopia was designated for TPS by the Biden administration in late 2022 due to armed conflict, including the Tigray war, with an estimated 20,000 displaced Ethiopians in the US qualifying for protections at that time.