US judge clears way for Trump to end Somalis’ deportation protections

On Friday, a federal judge in Boston granted clearance for President Donald Trump's administration to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 1,100 Somalis. This move allows them to be deported from the United States. The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court in June permitted the administration to terminate similar protections for thousands of individuals from Haiti and Syria.

The ruling, influenced by the court's 6-3 conservative majority, limited judges' ability to scrutinize Department of Homeland Security (DHS) actions in ending TPS for 13 countries that had provided humanitarian immigration protections to eligible migrants from these nations. Lawyers for the plaintiffs and DHS have not yet commented on the matter.

Last week, two additional judges allowed the administration to end TPS for South Sudan and Myanmar. Only Ethiopia's TPS status remains under judicial blockage. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had previously announced plans to end TPS for Somalis, claiming that conditions in Somalia had improved despite ongoing conflict with al-Shabaab militants.

In March, Judge Allison Burroughs blocked Noem's decision from taking effect due to a lawsuit filed by four Somalis and two advocacy groups, including African Communities Together. The plaintiffs claimed that the administration's decision to end TPS for Somalia was based on racial bias against non-white immigrants, citing Trump's past derogatory comments about Somalis.

Following the Supreme Court's ruling, Burroughs issued a new order temporarily halting the end of Somali TPS while she evaluated whether to allow the plaintiffs to challenge DHS's actions, arguing that the Supreme Court's ruling did not directly address their concerns.