A US federal judge in Boston on Tuesday authorized the Trump administration to strip deportation protections from roughly 5,000 Ethiopian nationals, paving the way for the total cancellation of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Judge Brian Murphy lifted a previous stay on the termination, a decision hailed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. “Judge Brian Murphy just lifted the stay of Ethiopia TPS termination. All TPS terminations are in effect!” DHS General Counsel James Percival wrote on US social media company X.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued a definitive warning to those affected by the ruling. “Temporary Protected Status is just that — temporary,” Mullin wrote, adding that individuals whose status has expired are now in the country illegally. He noted they have two choices: "leave immediately or be swiftly deported."

The move follows a determination by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that as the Horn of Africa country no longer meets the criteria for TPS designation, their status would be terminated effective Feb. 13. However, on Jan. 30, a judge in the US District of Massachusetts stayed her decision.

This ruling aligns with June Supreme Court decisions that allowed the administration to end similar protections for thousands of individuals from both Haiti and Syria (AA)