Trump Administration Wins Court Approval to Deport 1,100 Somalis

A federal judge in Boston has allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 1,100 Somalis, clearing the way for the Department of Homeland Security to revoke their immigration protections.

Judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled on Friday that DHS could terminate Somalia’s TPS designation. Her decision follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that significantly limited the ability of lower courts to review efforts by the government to end TPS programmes.

The Supreme Court’s ruling has allowed the administration to proceed with plans to end TPS for migrants from 13 countries, including Haiti and Syria. It has also enabled the administration to terminate protections for people from South Sudan and Myanmar. Ethiopia is the only country where TPS remains protected by a court order.

The Boston case had been closely watched because Burroughs had previously blocked the administration’s attempt to end Somali TPS. At the time, she cited concerns raised by plaintiffs who alleged that the policy was racially motivated and pointed to President Donald Trump’s disparaging comments about Somali immigrants.

Advocacy groups, including African Communities Together, argued that the decision to end TPS was based on prejudice rather than an objective assessment of conditions in Somalia. DHS, which was led at the time by former Secretary Kristi Noem, announced in January that Somali TPS would be terminated. The department said conditions in Somalia had improved sufficiently to justify ending the designation.

Critics disputed that assessment, citing continuing conflict between Somali government forces and al-Shabaab militants. Burroughs’ latest order reflects the effect of the Supreme Court’s June ruling. She had initially sought to determine whether the plaintiffs could pursue legal claims that fell outside the scope of the Supreme Court’s decision. Her latest ruling allows DHS to move forward with ending the protections.

The decision adds to the administration’s broader effort to dismantle humanitarian protections that have allowed tens of thousands of migrants to live and work legally in the US.