The lawsuit notes that Ethiopia remains in crisis, with the country’s miliary engaging in regular firefights with forces from neighboring Eritrea. The conflict, which centers on the Tigray region, has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced. Nevertheless, the Department of Homeland Security terminated TPS with just 60 days’ notice. This decision, attorneys say, was motivated by an unconstitutional animus against non-white immigrants.
Immigrant rights activists have filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to end temporary protected status for thousands of Ethiopians living legally in the United States.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Ethiopian nationals as well as the non-profit group African Communities Together. In court documents, attorneys for the plaintiffs said that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind temporary protected status was unlawful and could put more than 5,000 people at risk of deportation.
“We filed this suit because our Ethiopian community members deserve basic respect for their rights and their safety,” Amaha Kassa, the executive director of African Communities Together, said in a statement. “The administration’s review of Ethiopia’s TPS designation resulting in the termination decision was motivated wrongly by politics and racism and ignored the rule of law, including the requirement to consider objective evidence of unsafe conditions in Ethiopia. This lawsuit demands that the government follow the law and conduct a fair, thorough review of Ethiopia’s designation.
Temporary protected status, or TPS, is a legal designation that provides certain residential and employment rights to foreign nationals fleeing civil unrest or natural disasters in their home countries.
“Based on the Department’s review, the Secretary [of Homeland Security] has determined the situation in Ethiopia no longer meets the criteria for an ongoing armed conflict that poses a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals,” the Department of Homeland Security said in the Federal Register document announcing the change.
“The Secretary’s decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status designation for Ethiopia is based on an assessment of country conditions, such as the nature of violence in the country today, internal displacement, food insecurity, and disease outbreaks, as well as national interest factors, such as number of visa overstays, national security, and public safety risks,” the department said. “The reduction in armed violence and the improvement in country conditions, which underpinned the initial designations, allows nationals to return in safety. In addition, the Secretary has determined that extending Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia is contrary to the U.S. national interest.”
The lawsuit notes that Ethiopia remains in crisis, with the country’s miliary engaging in regular firefights with forces from neighboring Eritrea. The conflict, which centers on the Tigray region, has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced. Nevertheless, the Department of Homeland Security terminated TPS with just 60 days’ notice. This decision, attorneys say, was motivated by an unconstitutional animus against non-white immigrants.
“The administration’s review of Ethiopia’s TPS designation resulting in the termination decision was motivated wrongly by politics and racism and ignored the rule of law, including the requirement to consider objective evidence of unsafe conditions in Ethiopia,” Kassa said.
Homeland Security Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin has since said that TPS “was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades.”
Sources
Lawsuit challenges Trump ending Ethiopians’ temporary legal status
Termination of the Designation of Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status
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