A Massachusetts federal judge issued a temporary order preventing the Department of Homeland Security from terminating TPS protections for Somali immigrants while a legal challenge proceeds.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge has temporarily prevented the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from ending temporary protected status for Somali nationals living in the United States while a lawsuit challenging the policy continues in court.
U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs issued the order on March 13 following a legal challenge filed by four Somali nationals and two advocacy organizations. The lawsuit, detailed in a filing described in the case brought by Muslim Advocates, argues that revoking the protections could expose Somali immigrants to serious harm if they were required to return to their home country.
Temporary Protected Status, commonly known as TPS, is a federal immigration designation explained by the U.S. government that allows individuals from certain countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions to remain in the United States for limited periods. Information about the program is outlined by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in its description of Temporary Protected Status.
The Department of Homeland Security previously announced that TPS protections for Somali nationals would expire on March 17. Federal officials stated earlier this year that conditions in Somalia had improved sufficiently to no longer justify the designation.
In her March 13 decision, Burroughs said individuals protected under the program could face serious consequences if the termination were allowed to proceed before the court has fully considered the legal challenge. The ruling is documented in the court’s order available through court records.
“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,” Burroughs wrote in the order.
The judge also acknowledged the broader legal considerations involved when courts intervene in decisions made by the executive branch.
“On the other hand, if the court postpones the effective date of a decision committed to the executive branch by Congress, it risks harmful interference with its coordinate branches of government,” she stated.
Burroughs granted an administrative stay that temporarily pauses the policy change while the court reviews the plaintiffs’ emergency motion. During that period, the termination cannot take effect.
“While the stay is in effect, the termination shall be null, void, and of no legal effect,” the judge wrote.
The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to ensure Somali nationals currently holding TPS—or those with pending applications—retain their legal protections during the pause. Those protections include work authorization and protection from deportation.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs welcomed the court’s decision. In a public response released by the Legal Defense Fund, one of the organizations involved in the case, the group described the ruling as temporary relief for Somali immigrants affected by the policy.
“Although today’s court order is temporary, and many battles lie ahead within this legal challenge, the plaintiffs and their legal team are heartened by the interim protection today’s order affords all Somali people in the U.S. who have TPS or pending TPS applications,” the organization said in its statement.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told multiple news outlets that the ruling represents another instance of courts interfering with the administration’s immigration policy decisions.
The spokesperson said the order reflects “judicial activists trying to prevent President Donald Trump from restoring integrity to America’s legal immigration system.”
Court filings submitted by the plaintiffs indicate that approximately 1,082 Somali nationals currently reside in the United States under TPS protections. An additional 1,383 individuals have pending applications seeking the same status.
The TPS designation for Somalia had previously been extended by the federal government. In 2024, the Biden administration extended and redesignated Somalia for the program until March 17, 2026, citing continued instability in the country. Details of that decision were published in a notice contained in the Federal Register.
However, the Department of Homeland Security later determined the country no longer met the criteria required for TPS protections. That determination was announced in a government notice published in the Federal Register.
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the decision in a statement issued in January.
“Temporary means temporary,” Noem said in a government announcement posted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
The court’s temporary stay allows Somali nationals with TPS to remain in the United States while legal arguments continue. The judge directed both parties to submit additional legal briefs addressing the emergency motion before the court determines whether the termination can proceed.
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