A federal court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending temporary immigration protections for Somali nationals living in the United States, a decision that could leave more than 1,000 people vulnerable to deportation.
The ruling marks the latest development in the administration's broader effort to scale back Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a programme that permits people from countries affected by war, natural disasters or other crises to live and work legally in the U.S.
The decision came from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston, who had previously paused the termination of TPS for Somalia earlier this year.
That earlier order followed a lawsuit filed by Somali nationals and immigrant advocacy groups challenging the government's decision. However, recent legal developments at the Supreme Court level have narrowed the ability of lower courts to block the administration's attempts to end TPS designations.
As a result, the court has now allowed the Department of Homeland Security to proceed with ending Somalia's designation under the programme.
The Trump administration has argued that TPS was never intended to be a permanent immigration pathway and should be phased out when conditions in a country improve.
In January, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to end Somalia's protected status, saying the security and humanitarian situation had improved enough to justify the move.
That assessment has been disputed by migrant advocates and human rights groups, who point to continuing instability in Somalia, including clashes involving government forces and the militant group al-Shabaab.
Those opposing the decision argued that the move was motivated in part by hostility toward non-white immigrants.
The lawsuit cited past remarks by President Donald Trump about Somali migrants and claimed the administration's actions were influenced by racial bias rather than an objective assessment of conditions in Somalia.
While the court initially allowed those arguments to proceed, the legal landscape changed after a Supreme Court ruling in June gave the administration greater authority to end TPS protections for several countries.
That decision has since paved the way for the termination of similar protections affecting migrants from Haiti, Syria, South Sudan and Myanmar.
For Somali TPS holders, the ruling creates uncertainty about their future in the United States.
Many have built lives, careers and families during years of legal residence under the programme. Once TPS protections expire, affected individuals will need to secure another form of immigration status or risk becoming subject to removal proceedings.
Advocacy groups have warned that returning people to Somalia could expose them to ongoing security and economic challenges. The administration, however, maintains that immigration policy should reflect current conditions rather than indefinitely extend temporary protections.
The decision represents another significant victory for the Trump administration's immigration agenda and highlights the increasingly limited legal options available to groups seeking to challenge the end of TPS protections in U.S. courts.
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As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The 81st UN General Assembly returns for its third day in New York on Thursday, with world leaders delivering high-level speeches and holding diplomatic meetings. Restoring trust, managing global transformation, peace and security, and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
Australia says an OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorised access to a government Medicare statistics portal in June, in what officials say could be an unprecedented case of an AI system breaching a government network.
Pakistan says it carried out air strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, targeting sites it said were used to store and launch drones, as tensions between the two neighbouring countries continued to escalate.
Here’s your AnewZ Daily Brief for 24 September 2026, with five key developments from the second day of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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