FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

URGENT PETITION: HUMANITARIAN GROUPS PLEA FOR LAST-MINUTE HALT TO ETHIOPIA TPS TERMINATION

With just 48 hours remaining before a critical deportation protection expires, the Oromia Support Group (OSG) is issuing a global call to action. A petition on Change.org, directed at Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, demands the immediate rescission of the decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Ethiopia, including the Oromo people.

The termination, set for February 13, will revoke the legal right of approximately 2,200 Ethiopians to live and work in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision, announced last year, concludes that conditions in Ethiopia—a country grappling with recent conflict, severe drought, and ongoing human rights concerns—no longer warrant temporary humanitarian protection.

“This decision implies Ethiopia is now a safe place to deport people to, which contradicts the reality on the ground,” said Dr. Trevor Trueman, Chair of the Oromia Support Group. “We are in a race against time to prevent the return of individuals to a situation of extreme peril.”

The petition explicitly holds Secretary Noem, who oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), accountable. It references controversial ICE actions, alleging the agency has “detained thousands of immigrants, including children, in hostile detention centres many hundreds of miles from their homes, families, and legal representatives.” The petition frames the appeal as a chance for the public to “register disapproval of the actions of the DHS, including ICE.”

Dr. Trueman specifically addressed potential concerns about the petition’s organizer, the Ethiopian American Association. He emphasized it is a young, non-partisan organization with no nationalistic bias within Ethiopia. “Unlike other similarly-named organisations, it does not exhibit an anti-Oromo bias,” he stated, noting that its President, Aga Ambissa Ayana, is a former Oromo refugee himself, whom Trueman met in Nairobi in 2010 prior to his resettlement in the U.S.

Advocates warn that without TPS, beneficiaries will face imminent deportation to a country still recovering from a devastating civil war and facing severe humanitarian crises in several regions, including Oromia. The termination affects those who have built lives, families, and careers in the U.S., often for several years.

The Petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/…/protect-tps-holders-of…

About the Oromia Support Group:

The OSG is a UK-based advocacy organization focused on human rights and political issues concerning the Oromo people of Ethiopia.

Contact: Dr. Trevor Trueman, Chair, Oromia Support Group.

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Note to Editors: The DHS has stated the termination is based on a thorough assessment of country conditions. Requests for comment from the Department of Homeland Security on this specific petition were not immediately returned.