Overview
- U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston granted an emergency request that blocks the program’s expiration scheduled for January 5.
- The case was brought by four South Sudanese nationals and African Communities Together, who argue DHS’s termination was unlawful and discriminatory.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a November 5 notice ending the designation, asserting South Sudan no longer meets TPS criteria.
- Plaintiffs cite 232 current beneficiaries and 73 pending applicants, pointing to UN expert findings of severe, ongoing humanitarian suffering in South Sudan.
- The order is a temporary pause as the court considers the merits on an expedited timeline, with briefing due by January 13, and comes amid broader challenges to TPS rollbacks for other nationalities.