Another Court Pause on Somalia TPS
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama appointee, issued a new administrative stay Friday that blocks the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalis. The termination had been set to take effect on March 17, but a federal judge had already halted it once before. This latest order came after the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint and an emergency motion. So, once again, a policy called “temporary” is being treated in court like it came with a lifetime warranty and a complimentary tote bag.
The Numbers Behind the Fight
There are more than 100,000 Somalis living in the United States, according to the report, and about 5,000 are estimated to be eligible for TPS. The program is meant to protect foreign nationals from being sent back to countries facing serious problems such as war, disaster, or unsafe conditions. The key word, of course, is “temporary.” Conservatives have long argued that Washington keeps stretching these programs until temporary starts to look a whole lot like permanent, only without Congress having to vote honestly on it.
DHS Fires Back at the Judge
Homeland Security general counsel James Percival did not hide his frustration after Judge Burroughs acted. He said there was “no serious debate” about what was happening in these cases, calling it “defiance, obstruction, and delay.” That is strong language from DHS, but it reflects a growing clash between the administration and lower court judges over immigration authority. The executive branch says it has the power to end TPS designations when conditions or policy judgments change, while activist lawsuits keep pulling the emergency brake.
Judge Allison Burroughs just entered yet another order preventing the termination of Somalia TPS. There is no serious debate about what is going on in these cases—defiance, obstruction, and delay.
— James Percival (@DHSGenCounsel) July 31, 2026
The Supreme Court Already Spoke on TPS
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Trump administration could end TPS for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians. In plain English, the high court recognized that Temporary Protected Status is, brace yourself, temporary. That ruling should have sent a clear message to the lower courts. Instead, some district judges appear determined to keep carving out delays, one order at a time, while the immigration debate gets pushed from elected officials into courtrooms.
🚨 A federal judge has again blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, issuing a new administrative stay after plaintiffs filed an amended complaint and emergency motion. pic.twitter.com/6l1hYYPqNH
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) July 31, 2026
Ethiopia Case Shows the Same Pattern
This Somalia ruling comes shortly after U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, indefinitely extended a block on ending TPS for Ethiopians. The Biden administration allowed more than 5,000 Ethiopians to enter the United States with special protections in 2022, extended that status again in April 2024, and it expired on February 13, 2026. Percival blasted Murphy’s order too, calling it “mutiny against the Supreme Court.” Whether one likes that phrase or not, the pattern is obvious: the administration tries to end TPS, and a district court steps in with another delay.
Judge Brian Murphy just entered an order preventing us from terminating TPS for Ethiopia. These district judges are engaged in mutiny against the Supreme Court. It must stop!
— James Percival (@DHSGenCounsel) July 24, 2026
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