BOSTON, Massachusetts — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending deportation protections and work authorization for nearly 1,100 Somali nationals living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs issued the order Friday in Boston, pausing the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to terminate TPS protections for Somalis that were scheduled to expire on March 17. The ruling preserves the legal status of the beneficiaries while the court reviews a lawsuit challenging the policy change.
Burroughs wrote that allowing the program to end immediately could create “weighty” consequences for Somali immigrants who rely on TPS. According to the court filing, plaintiffs warned that losing protections could expose recipients to detention, deportation, violence in Somalia, and family separation.
Four Somali nationals, along with advocacy groups African Communities Together and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, filed the lawsuit arguing that the administration’s decision was procedurally flawed. They also alleged the move reflected bias rather than a neutral assessment of conditions in Somalia.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the ruling, calling it another example of “judicial activists” interfering with the administration’s efforts to change immigration policy.
Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program allowing migrants from countries experiencing armed conflict or natural disasters to live and work legally in the United States. The Trump administration has moved to end TPS designations for multiple countries, prompting several ongoing court challenges.
The administration is also awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on similar TPS cases involving Haitian and Syrian nationals.
Sources
• Reuters – MBFC Rating
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