US Judge Ends Deportation Protections for South Sudanese Nationals

A federal judge in Boston has cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudanese nationals. U.S. District Judge Patti Saris rejected a legal challenge from immigrant rights advocates and the nonprofit African Communities Together, which sought to maintain the protections that allow eligible migrants to live and work in the United States. The ruling affects more than 232 South Sudanese individuals and at least 73 people with pending applications.

The decision follows a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited the ability of lower courts to review Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to end TPS for several countries. The plaintiffs argued on new grounds that DHS lacked the legal authority to terminate the status because the original 1990 statute granted that power only to the attorney general. Judge Saris rejected this argument, stating that if DHS lacked the authority to terminate the protections, it would have also lacked the authority to extend them.

James Percival, general counsel for DHS, stated on X that administrative stays preventing the end of such protections deny the American people what they voted for. The TPS designation, first issued for South Sudan in 2011, is intended for people whose home countries have experienced armed conflicts, natural disasters, or other extraordinary events. DHS moved to terminate the status in November, asserting that South Sudan no longer met the necessary conditions.