Ethiopians in Colorado panicking after Trump administration cuts TPS protections, immigration advocates say

Colorado has a large Ethiopian community; between 30,000 and 50,000 people, according to the University of Colorado Boulder Colorado Ethiopian Community.

Now, many in the community, according to immigration advocates, are panicking after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday that it's terminating the Temporary Protected Status designation of Ethiopia. That means any Ethiopians in the United States under the TPS designation have 60 days to leave the country or be subject to deportation.

"It just doesn't make sense," said Lidia Tamerat, with the nonprofit Colorado Ethiopian Community. "We're business owners. We're part of the community."

She says many Ethiopians immigrated to the United States seeking safety from the civil war that started in 2018, with many immigrating to the U.S. in 2022.

"It was very hard. There is famine. There was killing. There was a lot that was happening. And the country is still very unsettled," Tamerat said.

About 4,500 Ethiopian immigrants have been granted TPS designation by the U.S. government so they could resettle and work, according to Congressional data, but those days have come to an end.

Regarding the cancellation, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson said, "Temporary Protected Status designations are time-limited and were never meant to be a ticket to permanent residency," and "conditions in Ethiopia no longer pose a serious threat to the personal safety of returning Ethiopian nationals."

The U.S. Department of State has a Level 3 Travel Advisory for Ethiopia right now, saying on its website, "Reconsider travel to Ethiopia due to sporadic violent conflict, civil unrest, crime, communications disruptions, terrorism and kidnapping in border areas."

Tamerat says the Ethiopian community is in a state of panic and disagrees that Ethiopia is a safe place to return to.

"For people that have been here since 2022, they've established a life. They're just sending their children to school. A lot of them do have employment authorization cards, so they have started work," Tamerat said. "There's still a lot of ethnic war happening. It's really hard for those that are living there to find jobs, to feed their family. There's still parts of Ethiopia that's facing famine."

DHS is giving Ethiopians under TPS designation until February 2026 to self-deport. The agency added that if they use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection mobile app to report their departure, they will get a complimentary plane ticket and a $1,000 exit bonus.

But Tamerat says two months just isn't enough time: "Do they have a home to go back to? Do they have a place to go back to that they could consider safe?"