Immigrant rights advocates have taken dramatic legal action in Boston to stop the Trump administration from ending protections for thousands of Ethiopians living in the United States.
Three Ethiopian nationals and the non‑profit African Communities Together filed a lawsuit on Thursday in federal court to block the termination of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, scheduled after February 13.
The plaintiffs say the Department of Homeland Security’s move puts more than 5,000 people at risk of losing work rights and deportation relief they have relied on for years.
Under U.S. law, TPS shields people from deportation and gives them temporary work authorisation when their home countries face conflict or disaster.
The lawsuit paints the termination decision as driven by unconstitutional animus against non‑white immigrants, noting Ethiopia’s predominantly Black population.
Amaha Kassa, executive director of African Communities Together, said the decision ignored evidence of unsafe conditions in Ethiopia, accusing the administration of politics and racism.
In response, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said TPS “was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program,” defending the decision as lawful.
The lawsuit joins a wave of legal challenges opposing the Trump administration’s effort to roll back TPS for nationals from several countries, including Syria, Venezuela, Haiti and South Sudan.
The Trump administration said conditions in Ethiopia have improved and no longer pose a serious threat to returnees, arguing TPS was never meant to lead to permanent residency.
Ethiopians were first granted TPS in 2022 under the Biden administration amid armed conflict, with extensions tied to ongoing violence in the Amhara region.
Advocates counter that fighting and humanitarian hardship persist and that stripping protections will expose vulnerable migrants to detention or forced removal.
The case is expected to test legal boundaries over immigration policy and claims of racial discrimination in government decision‑making.