Judge blocks Trump effort to strip South Sudan deportation protections

"A federal judge has blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from stripping temporary protections from deportations for South Sudanese citizens living in the United States. US District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston, Massachusetts, granted an emergency request on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by several South Sudanese nationals and an immigrant rights group. The order prevents the temporary protected status (TPS) for South Sudanese citizens from expiring on January 5 as the Trump administration has sought."

"The lawsuit, led by the African Communities Together, accuses the US Department of Homeland Security of acting unlawfully in its effort to strip South Sudanese citizens of TPS, a US immigration status granted to citizens of countries experiencing natural disasters, conflict or other extraordinary circumstances that could make return to their homelands dangerous. The status was initially granted for South Sudan in 2011 when the country officially broke away from Sudan."

"It has been repeatedly renewed amid repeated bouts of fighting, widespread displacement and regional instability. The status allows eligible individuals to work and receive temporary protection from deportation. The lawsuit further alleged that the Trump administration exposed South Sudan citizens to being deported to a country facing what is widely considered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a notice published on November 5, had argued the country no longer met the conditions for TPS."

A federal judge granted an emergency request to block the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudanese nationals, preventing TPS from ending on January 5. The lawsuit was filed by several South Sudanese nationals and African Communities Together, alleging the Department of Homeland Security acted unlawfully in attempting to rescind TPS. TPS was first granted in 2011 after South Sudan's independence and has been repeatedly renewed due to fighting, displacement and instability. TPS allows eligible individuals to work and receive temporary protection from deportation. The administration argued conditions improved, citing renewed peace and reintegration efforts.

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