Rep. Ogles Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Judge Who Blocked End to Somali TPS

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced articles of impeachment on Monday against U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs, accusing the Obama-appointed jurist of defying federal law and a recent Supreme Court ruling by temporarily blocking the Trump administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals.

Burroughs, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, issued an administrative stay late last week that prevented the Department of Homeland Security from ending the TPS designation for Somalia. The order came in response to an amended lawsuit filed by African Communities Together and other plaintiffs. The amended complaint alleged that the administration’s decision to terminate the status violated the Fifth Amendment by relying on racial and national-origin discrimination.

Temporary Protected Status, authorized under the Immigration and Nationality Act, provides temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to nationals of countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions that make safe return difficult. Designations are made by the Secretary of Homeland Security and can be extended or terminated based on country conditions. The statute includes a provision stating there is no judicial review of the Secretary’s determinations regarding designation, termination, or extension of a TPS designation.

The Supreme Court addressed related issues in Mullin v. Doe, a ruling that restricted the ability of lower courts to halt TPS terminations on non-constitutional grounds. Following that decision, the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed similar stays involving TPS for other countries. Plaintiffs in the Somali case amended their complaint to emphasize constitutional claims, prompting Burroughs to issue the stay while the government responds and the court considers the new allegations.

In the articles of impeachment, Ogles charged that Burroughs “defied the authority of both Federal law and the Supreme Court of the United States.” The resolution states that by issuing the stay, the judge ignored the clear congressional intent expressed in the Immigration and Nationality Act’s bar on judicial review and attempted to circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mullin v. Doe by entertaining what Ogles described as “spurious allegations of racial and national-origin discrimination.” The single article of impeachment asserts that this conduct constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors.

Ogles announced the filing on social media, writing that he had introduced the articles “against radical judicial activist Judge Allison Burroughs for ignoring the Supreme Court and attempting to force mass migration from Somalia into American communities.” He added, “America is not Africa’s dumping ground. We will end Temporary Protected Status, remove those who have no lawful right to remain, and put the sovereignty of the American people first.”

In earlier comments previewing the resolution, Ogles argued that the Supreme Court had made clear that lower courts cannot suspend TPS terminations and that Burroughs’ action represented an effort to subvert the president’s authority and the will of the people. He called for her impeachment to stop what he termed judicial obstruction.

The introduction of the articles refers the matter to the House Judiciary Committee. Impeachment of a federal judge requires a majority vote in the House to adopt articles, followed by a trial in the Senate that requires a two-thirds vote for conviction and removal. Such efforts against sitting judges are rare and historically face significant procedural and political hurdles.

Burroughs’ stay is administrative in nature and remains in effect pending further proceedings on the constitutional claims. The Trump administration has pursued a broader policy of reviewing and terminating TPS designations for multiple countries as part of its immigration enforcement agenda. The dispute over the Somali designation forms part of ongoing litigation testing the limits of judicial authority over executive determinations under the TPS statute following the Supreme Court’s recent guidance.