U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued an administrative stay Friday, temporarily blocking the Trump administration's effort to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopian nationals. The order in African Communities Together v. Mullin preserves TPS protections while the court considers if plaintiffs can pursue constitutional claims in light of a recent Supreme Court decision.
The ruling drew a sharp rebuke from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) General Counsel James Percival, who accused the judge of "mutiny" against the Supreme Court. This is not the first time Judge Murphy has clashed with the administration over immigration policies; DHS also blamed him for a stalled deportation flight in May 2025 that left officers facing malaria exposure and rocket attack threats in Djibouti.
"Remember when that district judge rerouted a plane with child rapists headed for South Sudan? The judge made ICE land in Djibouti to face Malaria and terrorist rocket attacks from Yemen," Percival wrote on X. "Fun fact: it was the very same Judge Brian Murphy who entered a lawless TPS order today!"
The litigation began after the Department of Homeland Security determined in December 2025 that conditions in Ethiopia no longer justified TPS, announcing the designation would terminate. Protections were set to end on February 13, 2026, before Judge Murphy's intervention.
Murphy had previously sided with challengers, finding they were likely to succeed on claims that the department failed to follow procedures for ending TPS. However, the Supreme Court's June 25 ruling in Mullin v. Doe significantly narrowed lower courts' authority to block DHS decisions on TPS. The administration argued this ruling undermined Murphy's injunction.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, stated that lower courts generally cannot hear Administrative Procedure Act challenges to DHS decisions designating or terminating TPS. This ruling was seen as a victory for the Trump administration's immigration policies. The court, however, left open the possibility for constitutional claims to proceed, which the plaintiffs have now revised their complaint to focus on.
Murphy's order came hours after Senior U.S. District Judge Patti Saris in the District of Massachusetts issued a similar administrative stay for South Sudanese TPS holders, also pending consideration of potential constitutional claims. Both cases were brought by African Communities Together and individual TPS holders.
Conservative activists, including Mike Davis and Ann Coulter, have called for the Trump administration to disregard these lower court rulings, asserting that the Supreme Court has clearly stated lower courts lack the authority.
The Biden administration first granted TPS to Ethiopians in December 2022, citing ongoing armed conflict, widespread violence, human rights abuses, and food insecurity as reasons for the designation. Approximately 26,700 Ethiopian nationals were estimated to qualify for TPS. The protections were extended through December 12, 2025.