A federal judge is Boston on January 30 temporarily blocked the February 13 deadline under which Ethiopians with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would be required to return to Ethiopia.

According to Reuters, “U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston said he would issue an order delaying the February 13 effective date of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s termination of the Temporary Protected Status granted to over 5,000 Ethiopians in order to provide more time for a legal challenge to be heard.”

“The case before Murphy was filed last week by three Ethiopian nationals and the group African Communities Together after DHS said on December 12 it was ending the TPS designation for Ethiopia, citing improved conditions in the African nation.”

“The lawsuit by Ethiopians argues that ‘DHS unlawfully terminated the TPS designation first granted to Ethiopia in 2022 by the Biden administration with just 60-days notice, even though armed conflicts there continue.'”

The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 3 advisory (“Reconsider travel”) for travel to Ethiopia, due to unrest, violent crime, kidnapping or hostage taking, and terrorism. These conditions are occurring primarily in parts of the country outside of Addis Ababa.

My understanding, and I am not an immigration attorney, is that there has not yet been a new deadline ending the TPS for Ethiopians. Litigation is ongoing..

As I wrote in Temporary Protected Status Reinstated for Haitians: Implications for Adoptees?, TPS does not generally affect Ethiopian adoptees. They have a different legal status per the visa with which they entered the U.S.

International adoptees could, though, get caught up in sweeps by ICE or Border Patrol agents looking for Ethiopians with TPS, when and if a deadline for the status is reinstated.

If you’re looking for information about citizenship issues for international adoptees, this post may be helpful to you: Info About Proving Citizenship for Adoptees and Adoptive Parents: Be Informed, Be in Community.