U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a new administrative stay preventing the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for eligible Somali nationals while an amended legal challenge proceeds.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge on Friday again prevented the Trump administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals, extending a legal barrier that has kept the policy from taking effect.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued the new administrative stay after plaintiffs submitted an amended complaint and an emergency motion challenging the termination.
The administration had planned for Somalia’s TPS designation to end March 17, but an earlier court order stopped that change before it could take effect.
More than 100,000 Somali nationals live in the United States, and approximately 5,000 are estimated to qualify for Temporary Protected Status.
The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Burroughs’ latest order, characterizing it as another judicial attempt to delay the administration’s immigration policies.
“Judge Allison Burroughs just entered yet another order preventing the termination of Somalia TPS. There is no serious debate about what is going on in these cases—defiance, obstruction, and delay,” DHS General Counsel James Percival said.
Temporary Protected Status allows eligible nationals of designated countries to remain and work in the United States when the federal government determines that armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary conditions make their return unsafe. The designation does not provide permanent legal status and can be terminated by the administration, subject to statutory and judicial review.
The Somalia dispute follows a series of conflicting court decisions involving the Trump administration’s attempts to end TPS protections for several national groups.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the administration could terminate Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian nationals.
The ruling supported the administration’s position that TPS is temporary and does not create an indefinite right to remain in the United States.
A separate federal judge nevertheless blocked another planned termination last week. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, indefinitely extended a prohibition preventing the administration from ending TPS for Ethiopian nationals.
The Biden administration granted Temporary Protected Status to more than 5,000 Ethiopians in 2022, allowing them to enter or remain in the United States under special protections.
That designation was extended again in April 2024 and expired Feb. 13, 2026, before Murphy intervened.
Percival also condemned that decision, accusing lower-court judges of disregarding the Supreme Court’s direction on the administration’s authority over temporary immigration protections.
“Judge Brian Murphy just entered an order preventing us from terminating TPS for Ethiopia. These district judges are engaged in mutiny against the Supreme Court. It must stop!” Percival said.
The Somali plaintiffs’ amended complaint and emergency request now leave the termination on hold while Burroughs considers the legal challenge. The order allows qualifying Somali nationals to retain TPS protections for the time being rather than face the loss of work authorization and potential removal.
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