Overview
- U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs lifted an administrative stay on Friday, Aug. 14, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to end Somalia's TPS while the plaintiffs' lawsuit continues.
- The Supreme Court's June 25 Mullin decision narrowed federal courts' authority to review DHS terminations, a legal change Burroughs said constrained her ability to keep the Somali TPS pause in place.
- Reports disagree on the size of the affected population, citing figures that range from roughly 700 people to about 1,100 Somalis who could lose work permits and deportation protection.
- Plaintiffs and advocacy groups argued the termination was motivated by racial and national-origin bias, pointing to President Trump's past statements about Somalis, but courts have found Mullin limits the viability of those constitutional claims.
- The Somalia decision is part of a broader DHS push that has already moved to end TPS for countries including Haiti, South Sudan and Myanmar, a shift that could prompt detentions, local labor and municipal impacts, and calls for legislative fixes that face uncertain prospects.