A Massachusetts federal district court yesterday granted a postponement of the termination of Ethiopia's Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation; the designation had been temporarily stayed by the court in late January and yesterday’s court order continues the postponement. Ethiopia TPS beneficiaries will continue to retain their TPS protections and benefits, including employment authorization, while litigation challenging the termination continues. The case is African Communities Together et al. v. Noem et al., 1:26-cv-10278 (D. Mass., April 8, 2026).
In granting the postponement, Judge Brian E. Murphy said that Plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that Secretary Noem failed to consult with appropriate agencies as required by the TPS statute, and Plaintiffs had shown they were likely to demonstrate that the termination of Ethiopia's TPS designation was a preordained decision and that the reasons given for it were pretextual.
Background
Ethiopia was first designated for TPS in December 2022, and the designation was extended in April 2024 for an 18-month period, from June 13, 2024 through December 12, 2025. In December 2025, DHS announced that it was not extending the designation, but would provide a 60-day transition period through February 13, 2026, during which beneficiaries would remain work-authorized. On January 30, 2026, a Massachusetts federal district court order temporarily stayed the termination, to preserve the status quo while litigation moved forward. Yesterday’s district court decision postpones the effective date of the Ethiopia TPS designation while litigation challenging DHS’s termination continue. Ethiopia TPS beneficiaries will retain their TPS protections and benefits, including employment authorization, during the postponement.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
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