A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from ending humanitarian immigration protections for roughly 1,100 Somali nationals living in the United States, delaying a move that could have exposed many to deportation and loss of work authorization.
The decision, issued Friday by Allison Burroughs, postpones the scheduled termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants while a legal challenge moves forward in federal court.
The administration had planned to end the designation on March 17. But the ruling temporarily blocks the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from carrying out the change until the court can determine whether the policy shift violates federal law.
In her order, Burroughs emphasized the potentially severe consequences for Somali nationals if the protections were lifted before the legal challenge could be fully examined.
“Plaintiffs aver that if Somalia’s TPS designation is allowed to terminate, over one thousand people will face ‘a myriad of grave risks,’ including detention and deportation, physical violence if removed to Somalia, and forced separation from family members,” the judge wrote.
The ruling effectively pauses the government’s action and establishes a legal schedule for reviewing whether a longer-term injunction should be granted.
TPS is a humanitarian immigration program that allows people from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to temporarily remain in the United States. Beneficiaries can also obtain work authorization and protection from deportation during the designation period.
Under the administration of Donald Trump, immigration authorities have sought to terminate TPS designations for several countries, triggering a series of high-profile legal disputes over immigration policy and humanitarian protections.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the court’s intervention, calling the decision an example of courts interfering with executive authority.
The spokesperson described Burroughs’ ruling as “just the latest example of judicial activists trying to prevent President Trump from restoring integrity to America’s legal immigration system.”
The Somali case is unfolding as the administration awaits action from the U.S. Supreme Court, which is considering whether to lift separate lower-court rulings that have blocked the government from ending TPS protections for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals and approximately 6,000 Syrian immigrants.
Earlier this year, outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that TPS protections for Somalia would expire, arguing that conditions in the East African nation had improved. The decision came despite continued clashes between Somali government forces and the militant group al-Shabaab.
Four Somali nationals, along with advocacy organizations African Communities Together and Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, filed the lawsuit challenging the policy change.
Their complaint argues the decision to end the protections was procedurally flawed and motivated by discriminatory intent. The plaintiffs contend the administration is dismantling TPS for several countries based on bias rather than objective assessments of safety conditions.
They also cited past remarks by the president about Somali immigrants, including statements describing Somalis as “garbage” and “low IQ people.”
Advocates say the court’s intervention offers temporary relief for affected families.
Ramla Sahid said the ruling provides a measure of reassurance while the legal battle continues.
“a community whose dignity and belonging have faced racist and wrongful attacks can rest a little easier for now.”
For now, Somali TPS holders will retain their legal status and work authorization as the court weighs whether the federal government can proceed with terminating the program.
