Hundreds of South Sudanese nationals in the United States will see their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) end after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration can proceed with stripping their protections. The decision by U.S. district judge Patti Saris of the district of Massachusetts on Friday rejected a bid by immigrant rights groups to maintain TPS for South Sudanese individuals living in the country.

This ruling follows a significant June decision by the Supreme Court, which permitted the Trump administration to revoke TPS for hundreds of thousands of individuals from Haiti and Syria. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned earlier rulings from lower courts in New York and Washington D.C. that had halted the administration's efforts to end TPS for over 350,000 Haitians and approximately 6,100 Syrians. TPS is a designation that allows individuals from countries experiencing crises, such as civil war or environmental disasters, to reside and work legally in the U.S. temporarily, while also protecting them from deportation.

In her 15-page decision, Judge Saris stated that the arguments presented by the plaintiffs rested on a "self-contradictory, self-defeating foundation." She explained that if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacked the authority to terminate South Sudan's TPS designation, it would logically also have lacked the authority to grant the designation in the first place. "South Sudan’s original TPS designation would thus be invalid by the same token as its termination," Saris wrote.

The DHS general counsel, James Percival, reacted to the ruling on X, stating, "Every other TPS judge must do the same! Every day these ‘administrative stays’ are in effect is a day the American people are denied what they voted for." The Guardian has reached out to African Communities Together, a New York-based immigrant rights organization, for comment.

Immigrant advocates have expressed concerns that the termination of TPS will lead to the deportation of individuals who have established lives and contributed to communities across the United States. Many TPS holders have been in the U.S. for years, some for decades, and have U.S.-born children and established employment.

The DHS initially terminated TPS for South Sudan in 2017, citing improved conditions. However, immigrant rights groups and advocates argued that the country still faces significant violence and instability, making it unsafe for return.

The Supreme Court's ruling on TPS for Haitians and Syrians set a precedent that could impact future challenges to TPS terminations. The court's interpretation of the law centered on the scope of the executive branch's authority in making these decisions.

This decision leaves hundreds of South Sudanese nationals in a state of uncertainty regarding their future in the United States, potentially facing deportation if they do not secure alternative legal status.