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The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has temporarily paused the termination of Somalia’s designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), in order to enable full briefing from the parties on the Plaintiffs’ pending request for emergency postponement of the termination.
(Boston, M.A.) – This afternoon, a federal District Court judge in the District of Massachusetts granted advocates’ request for an interim stay of the impending termination of Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. The termination was set to take effect at 11:59pm on Tuesday, March, 17, 2026, but has been temporarily paused by this afternoon’s court order, which states that, as a result of the pause:
“Individuals with TPS status based on Somalia’s designation shall retain all rights and protections afforded by TPS status, including eligibility for work authorization and protection against deportation and detention based on TPS status, and individuals with pending TPS applications based on Somalia’s designation shall retain all rights and protections afforded to persons with pending TPS applications, including eligibility for work authorization and protection against deportation based on a pending TPS application.”
The pause of the termination of Somalia’s TPS will remain in effect temporarily, pending further court order.
The Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are African Communities Together (ACT), Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), and four Somali community members who have lived and worked in the U.S. for many years and who face grave harms if TPS for Somalia terminates imminently and unlawfully. The Plaintiffs are represented by Muslim Advocates, Haitian Bridge Alliance, and the Legal Defense Fund, in a lawsuit supported by Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP).
Although today’s court order is temporary, and many battles lie ahead within this legal challenge, the Plaintiffs and their legal team are heartened by the interim protection today’s order affords all Somali people in the U.S. who have TPS or pending TPS applications.
For additional information about this lawsuit, please see the prior Press Release issued by Plaintiffs’ attorneys and supporters.
Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian protection established by Congress to prevent deportations to countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.
Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP) is a national collaborative of grassroots immigrant-led organizations working to win permanent status for TPS holders and build a more inclusive immigrant rights movement that centers African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, and Asian & Pacific Islander immigrants.
African Communities Together (ACT) is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide.
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) advocates for the full economic, social, and civic inclusion of refugees and displaced populations in the San Diego region, throughout California, and across the country.
Muslim Advocates is a social justice and legal advocacy organization that works with and for Black, African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian, and other historically marginalized communities to build community power, dismantle systemic discrimination, and demand shared wellbeing by using litigation, policy engagement, and communications strategies.
Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black people, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses.
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF), founded in 1940, is the nation’s first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF’s archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.
