The Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of Ethiopia residing in the United States, effective immediately. The decision, published in the Federal Register, concludes a review of conditions in the East African nation.
In a formal notice, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that a review of country conditions, conducted in consultation with other federal agencies, determined that Ethiopia “no longer continues to meet the conditions” required for the TPS designation. The program is designed to offer work permits and a shield from deportation to foreign nationals whose home countries are deemed unsafe due to ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary circumstances.
This action is part of a broader immigration enforcement initiative that has seen the protective status rescinded for nationals from several countries in recent months, including Haiti, Venezuela, and Somalia. The administration has characterized these terminations as a necessary recalibration of immigration policy, arguing that the original conditions that justified the protections have improved. Legal challenges to several of these terminations are ongoing in federal courts.
The termination means Ethiopian TPS holders will lose their legal authorization to work and will become subject to removal proceedings once a final transition period concludes. The announcement follows an October Supreme Court ruling that allowed the government to proceed with ending TPS for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals, pending litigation.
In a related move, the Department of Homeland Security also indicated it would cease processing certain longstanding family reunification parole applications for Cuban and Haitian nationals, further narrowing pathways for legal migration.